Everyone at the club is mindful of the club avoiding last season’s scrape with relegation, and in order to achieve this, Walters says its important to target some positive results in the opening weeks of the campaign, especially at home.

United kick off their PSL season with a home match against Platinum Stars at the Harry Gwala Stadium this Sunday, with home games against Orlando Pirates and Golden Arrows to follow in the first five weeks of the new campaign.

"The first couple of months are going to be very important,” Walters told the PSL website.

"If you want to finish in the top eight, you have to get maximum points at home. They are vital and away games will take care of themselves."

"For clubs like us with a minimum budget it's a lot more difficult to survive relegation, we have to work extra hard, we have to grind it out and hope that luck goes our way, those things are all key.

Walters reveals he was very unhappy with the number of goals the team leaked last season, but is hopeful that the new signings and some more resolute defence will see better fortunes this time around.

"Obviously I had concerns and I didn't want to go through the same things I went through last year - if you look at the amount of goals I conceded, it was the second highest amount in the league.

"It's never comforting for a goalkeeper and especially for a goalkeeper that still has a lot of aspirations and with that I mean breaking into the Bafana squad.

"That was one of my main concerns and I had to put it out there. If you don't concede goals then you won't lose matches, I said that to them. So the club have gone out and bolstered that area.

"The important thing is we've now had a coach from the beginning of the season which also helps us.

"It's vital to have that continuity and Ian Palmer here right the way through helps with that."