Johannesburg — Chaine says his strong mentality and being surrounded by experienced players has helped him to quickly adapt at Orlando Pirates.
Chaine cut his football teeth in the development ranks of the now-defunct Bloemfontein Celtic where he won the DStv Diski Challenge team with the reserves and toured the UK.
He was eventually promoted to the senior team and was part of the squad that endured financial challenges, leading to the sale of the club to Royal AM two seasons ago.
Having relocated with the club to Pietermaritzburg, Chaine dropped down the pecking order as Patrick Nyame was the designated No 1.
He eventually moved to Chippa United last year in July before joining Pirates three months later in a curious move that caught many by surprise.
Chaine has become Bucs’ No 1 in recent weeks following an injury to Richard Ofori and demotion of Siyabonga Mpontshane, while Kopano Thuntsane has played a supporting role.
Since his ascension, Chaine has only kept two clean sheets and conceded 12 goals in 12 matches across all competitions.
He says it was important to demand a lot from himself, especially after overcoming tough situations which included a lot of movement.
“I think it’s been good. Coming to a big club such as Pirates there’s so much responsibility and ambition,” Chaine said.
“It hasn’t been easy – not that it was going to be easy. But coming to work with the likes of Mposh, Kopano and Rich has really pushed me to be the best that I can, and I push them as well.
“I think it starts with how much you demand of yourself. The ability to push yourself to get to the next level,” Chaine added.
“There’s never the right time to push yourself. Like saying this is the right time for me to go and see yourself strive under pressure and see how best you work under pressure.”
Since arriving at Pirates, Chaine has asserted himself as a ball-playing goalkeeper as he’s able to start play from the back.
But he doesn’t think that has made him stand out from the rest, instead his focus and mindset were key in him stepping up when the opportunity came.
“I don’t think that will help you settle in at a football club. I think every player has their strengths and weaknesses. So it’s about how you apply yourself to be comfortable,” Chaine said.
“It’s also about how focused you can be at every training session and game, especially at a big club such as Orlando Pirates.”
Chaine has already tasted success with the club this season having won the MTN8 late last year. However, the team couldn’t take that form into the league as they trail runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 25 points.
However, all is not lost. Pirates can still finish second on the log and qualify for the CAF Champions League next season.
Or else, they can finish third or win the Nedbank Cup and qualify for the Confederation Cup. Chaine, though, says they are taking things one game at a time.
“Not really. I think we didn’t start the season very well. But we are getting better (as a team) and we are taking it one game at a time,” Chaine said ahead of their league clash against SuperSport United, who are second on the log and lead them by five points, on Saturday.
“And coming into the weekend also, it’s about three points. We are taking it one game at a time. It’s about three points so we’ll see where we end off.”
IOL Sport