MATSHELANE MAMABOLO
@ OLD PETER MOKABA STADIUM
POLOKWANE CITY 0
GOLDEN ARROWS (0) 1Mutizwa 49
THE GOLDEN ARROWS revival got into full swing here Wednesday night as Manqoba Mngqithi collected his maiden maximum points from a match that could easily have gone the other way. Brought back to aBafana Bes'thende to lift the club up from the lower rung of the table, Mngqithi began his tenure with a draw against his former club Mamelodi Sundowns last week.
His second match in charge delivered the full monty courtesy of a superb Knox Mutizwa strike early in the second half of a class that swung to and fro like a pendulum.Ordinarily, a match between these two sides would not rate that highly.
But such has been City's good run of form this season that they are one of the Betway Premiership's most exciting teams.
And they dished out brilliant football against an Arrows side that was equally pleasing to the eye - both sides attacking with purpose and passing the ball about cleanly and with confidence.
Scoring chances were aplenty on both ends but with the goalkeepers on their toes, the net only bulged once. And in living with the quality football in offer, Knox Mutizwa's goal was off the top drawer as the Zimbabwean defied the awkwardness of the angle he found himself at inside the box to lift the ball over Manuel Sapunga in the City goals.
There could have and should have been more goals, City watching in disbelief as a goalbound header got cleared off the ball with Isima Watenga in no man's land.Mokibelo Ramabu was a liveiwire for City on the right flank and supplied numerous crosses into the box which his teammates should have used better.
Very early in the match, City had a good shiut for a penalty waved off by the referee who incredibly booked the home side player who was clearly fouled. Cole Alexander then forces a super save out of Watemga with a piledriver that would have beaten many a goalkeepers.
A usually calm coach, I was pretty animated on the bench - screaming loud at his players as he berated them for moves gone wrong.He earned himself a booking for one of those shouts that was seemingly directed at the match officials.
He had the last laugh at the end though as Arrows took home the threee points to begin their ascend up the Betway Premiership table.They wiill be staying on in Pololwane as they next play Magesi FC on Saturday. Win that one too and Mato Madlala's decision to have Mngqithi return to the club would be a masterstroke.