Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen is ready to reclaim the No.1 position at the club after returning from injury.
Petersen suffered a broken finger during pre-season and it has kept him out of action this campaign but he is now back and eager to grab the starting position from Rwandan international Fiacre Ntwari, who has started all three games in the PSL for Amakhosi.
Petersen has not had an opportunity to show new coach Nasreddine Nabi what he is capable of, having suffered the injury when the Tunisian was just arriving, but he hopes to prove to the technical bench that he is better than the other keepers at the club.
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“I think for me if it's up to me, I would wanna start now. I think obviously it's up to the specialist, you know I started training this week, two training sessions so far and it went well,” Petersen told SABC.
“So, seeing the specialist this week, obviously [to] get an update but I think I’m healing well and it shouldn’t be too long. I'm looking forward and excited to get back on the field again.”
Petersen is staying positive despite his frustrating spell on the sidelines and feels a good attitude is what is needed when dealing with such a setback.
“I think obviously you're disappointed because you want to start the season well, you want to start the season without injuries and all that but at the end of the day it's part of the game,” he added.
The goalkeeper is staying positive amid tough competition
“For me personally, there's no point in sulking and saying what if, what if that, I don't live in what ifs. For me, it's to face the reality and what is coming up for me. Every injury, every opportunity for me there's lessons in it and for me, it's learning those lessons and growing from there and knowing how I can support each and every player, whether I'm playing or not.
“So, for me yes it was a setback but for me, there's always something positive.”
Petersen was the Chiefs first-choice goalkeeper for most of last season before losing his place to Bruce Bvuma and he now has a battle to regain his place given new signing Ntwari looks to be Nabi’s trusted man between the posts.