Khune close to his double ton
ITUMELENG Khune could make his 200th start for Kaizer Chiefs if he plays in their next two games, beginning with an emergency assignment against relegationthreatened Lamontville Golden Arrows tonight.
Khune is expected to return to the line-up for the first time since he suffered a freak injury in a warm-up session before the African Champions League tie against Liga Muculmana of Mozambique in Durban last month.
Khune’s last game for Chiefs was his 198th start when they beat Bloemfontein Celtic 3-0 on February 19. He was rested for the subsequent match against Black Leopards in the Nedbank Cup, when Nhlanhla Khuzwayo took to the goals, and then suffered the injury.
But with hurt last Reyaad Pieterse Saturday and Khuzwayo looking far from impressive last Wednesday against FC Buffalo in the second round of the Nedbank Cup, the temptation to bring him back will be hard for coach Stuart Baxter to resist.
It would mean he plays game 199 against Arrows and marks his 200th in the fiercest arena possible – against Mamelodi Sundowns in a possible title-deciding game at Soccer City this Saturday night.
Khune started the season with 172 appearances under his belt and has played 19 league games in this campaign, plus three in the MTN 8 and three in the Telkom Knockout, where Chiefs were beaten in both semifinals.
He also played in the first leg of the opening Champions League tie against Black Africa of Namibia.
Khune made his debut for Chiefs in August 2007 in a 1-1 draw with Jomo Cosmos, replacing Emile Baron in the Chiefs goal after the first game of the season.
It was Muhsin Ertugral who gave him his first chance and he was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet on debut, when Cosmos converted a first-half penalty through Anthony Laffor. The last player to score against Khune also netted from the penalty spot – Bongolethu Jayiya of Maritzburg United at the Harry Gwala Stadium in a 2-2 draw in early February.
Besides captaining his country, playing in the World Cup and African Nations Cup finals, and winning more than 60 caps, Khune has won all the domestic trophies on offer – the league and Nedbank Cup last season, the Telkom Knockout in 2007 and 2011 and the MTN8 in 2008.
He has averaged more than 30 appearances per season since his debut, except in the 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 seasons, when injury curtailed his starts for the club. He has had, in particular, problems with ligaments in his fingers.