Golden Arrows head coach Mabhuti Khenyeza has waved off any concerns about a catastrophic collapse this season after making an excellent start to the new Premiership season.
Abafana Bes’thende made it two wins in two league matches on Saturday, as they scored two goals in a space of five minutes to overcome Marumo Gallants 2-0 at the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale.
Knox Mutizwa opened the scoring in the 39th minute, followed by Nduduzo Sibiya’s goal five minutes later.
The KwaZulu-Natal club currently sit on top of the league standings, albeit having played a game more than the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
Congratulations to Thabani Zuke who was named this afternoons #betwaypremiership Man of The Match for our match against Marumo Gallants #sthendeway #10betgoldenarrows #greenandgold pic.twitter.com/YsCBfO3KMU
— Lamontville Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) September 21, 2024
This bright start by Khenyeza’s men, although at an early stage, has a slight resemblance to how Arrows began last season, as they collected 19 points in their opening 10 games and propelled themselves into the top two of the standings.
However, with their tails up, they were hit with a major blow in confidence as they went on to lose 11 games in a row at some point, before appointing Steve Komphela, who steadied the ship alongside Khenyeza and Musa Bilankulu.
With Komphela gone, Khenyeza has since been reappointed as the head coach again, and is looking to avoid yet another irregular downturn this season.
He said at the post-match press conference that he would not pay any attention to what happened last season under his management, but would only take note of the difficulties he received during that tough period.
“We just need to focus on the future and forget about the past... We’ll only learn lessons from the past. Even in general life, we learn from the past and we move past it,” he said.
“If you dwell too much in the past, then you’ll build up a sense of fear of doing things because you keep reciting the last season. This is a new season.”
Arrows have now recorded back-to-back wins and kept two clean sheets, while scoring four goals in the two they’ve played so far against Gallants and Stellenbosch FC.
Khenyeza recalled how frustrated his group was at having to wait longer than usual for the new season to start, having been delayed by six weeks.
He also expressed how proud he was to see his players emerge from those difficulties with two efficient displays against Stellies and Gallants.
“This is excellent for the players because they’ve been working and waiting for 9-10 weeks, so this actually belongs to them,” he said.
“We have to give them credit, the team spirit as well as the fighting spirit.
“You can see, everyone is prepared to defend out of possession, and playing against Gallants, a team that can keep the ball so much for a long period, is a tough task, considering the game we’ve just played as well against Stellies.
“So, let’s give them credit.”
Arrows will look to make it three wins in a row next when they take on Magesi FC on Wednesday at their Mpumalanga Stadium home in Hammarsdale (7.30pm start).