The Chilli Boys have enjoyed a positive start to the new year, recording successive wins over Orbit College and Durban City to ease their relegation concerns and move away from the foot of the table.
Their latest victory came on Saturday at Buffalo City Stadium, where a Sinoxolo Kwayiba brace secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Durban City.
However, Vilakazi stressed that his team has not yet turned the corner.
“It’s still too early to be excited. We need to keep our feet on the ground and take it one game at a time,” Vilakazi said after the match.
“Our main goal is to move out of the relegation zone, and now our focus is on Richards Bay, our next league fixture.”
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The coach also reflected on the slow start following his appointment last year, when he replaced Luc Eymael, explaining that limited preparation time initially made it difficult to implement his ideas.
“I think preparation has been key. When I arrived, we had three games in ten days, which was not enough time for us to properly align certain areas of our game,” he said.
Vilakazi added that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) break proved crucial in helping the team find rhythm and cohesion.
“The AFCON break helped us a lot. We were able to play friendly matches and work on chemistry within the squad,” he explained. “Before the break, we managed two draws against Siwelele and Kaizer Chiefs, and we wanted to build on that going into the new year.”
“I was pleased with the win against Orbit College, and from there we wanted to push on and collect another three points. I’m happy with the progress, but we must keep working.”