TS Galaxy FC assistant coach Shaun Bartlett represented our adversaries, Kaizer Chiefs, as a player and also coached at the club, but he is now firmly focused on helping the Rockets put Amakhosi to the sword.
The Rockets will open the new season against Chiefs at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday at 5pm.
The game will be shown live on SuperSport PSL (Channel 202). Bartlett has set his sights on getting one over his former side.
“No, for me, it doesn’t matter. It is my job here to make sure that we get good results. We saw them playing yesterday (Sunday) and they will be disappointed with the results and that’s why we have to be careful also.
“Come Sunday, they will be more aggressive and hungry. We’ve got to be ready for that challenge. It is all about preparing our team and knowing what is at stake. The worst thing to happen to you is to lose your first home game and then you are on a back foot. A win is what we are ultimately going for,” Bartlett stated.
Two seasons ago, Bartlett served as an assistant coach to Ernst Middendorp at Chiefs before joining the Rockets at the start of the year.
“Our focus is Chiefs. It is our first home game and we have to make sure that we collect as many points as we can in our territory. If you want to win anything in the league, your home games are important. We want to win more games at home,” he added.
Bartlett and his troops have been working feverishly behind the scenes ahead of the start of the new season.
“The preparations have been decent. We’ve played a few friendly matches. Having said that, we’ve had few injury concerns. I can safely say, we are ready. We can’t wait for the first game of the season,” Bartlett elaborated.
Last season we finished number nine on the log and Bartlett is targeting a much-improved return.
“Like any other individuals, we want to improve. We want to do better than last season. It was a slight disappointment not making the top eight. For our first season in the top league, I feel we did well. We have to build on that and see how we can progress.
“Game by game, we have to make sure that we become better. We want to end as high as possible on the log standing,” Bartlett detailed.