Mabhuti Khenyeza has guided Golden Arrows to fifth place in the Betway Premiership. | BackpagePix
According to head coach Mabhuti Khenyeza, Betway Premiership side Golden Arrows are showing the desired character built during a horrible period for the club last season.
Abafana Besthende snapped up back-to-back wins in the league last week against Royal AM and most recently Cape Town City on Sunday. Both games ended in a 3-2 result with Arrows having suffered setbacks at some point in both games but eventually fighting their way back into securing valuable victories.
Khenyeza and his men are now in fifth spot in the league standings having won four, drew one and lost three of their eight games so far.
The young coach was at the helm last season when the club underwent their worst losing streak in history, losing 11 games on the trot before the club roped in Steve Komphela in the latter stages of the campaign.
Arrows had gone five games without scoring before meeting Thwihli Thwahla and City, losing four and drawing one of those games. However, they’ve seemingly worked themselves out of that slump after smashing in six goals in their last two games.
Set Piece Specialists 🔥
— Lamontville Golden Arrows FC (@goldenarrowsfc1) December 2, 2024
3 goals from set pieces 🏹💚💛#10betgoldenarrows #greenandgold #sthendeway pic.twitter.com/RTaiXvunzf
Speaking after the City game in Hammarsdale, Khenyeza expressed how pleased he was to see the same team he coached last season learn from their past experience and praise their refusal to accept defeat or disappointment.
“We’ve scored six goals in two games; it was difficult for us because we were not scoring in four or five games, but now we are,” said Khenyeza. “I think they’re growing, they’re getting stronger. There’s character and desire to want to win,” he said
He further explained: “I think they are really growing, which is something we had a challenge with last season. But this season, you can see. And this is the same group that we suffered with because whatever we experienced and now we can concede and be able to come back. There’s only one thing: we run until the end.”
Abafana Besthende are currently the only KwaZulu Natal club in the top eight of the league standings, a position they occupied for a considerable period last season as well.
Having narrowly missed out on qualifying for the MTN8 twice in the last two seasons, expectations are that Khenyeza and his men are ready to kick on and finally return to a competition they won before in 2009.
The last three fixtures of the year don’t get any easier for Arrows with a wounded Orlando Pirates, KZN rivals Richards Bay and top-eight contender Polokwane City.
The last time Arrows travelled to the Orlando Stadium, they were on the wrong end of a horrid 7-1 scoreline, a result they will be desperate to avoid this time around.