AmaZulu captain Riaan Hanamub (second from right), congratulates Pule Ekstein on his goal against Chippa United. Photo: BackpagePix
AmaZulu co-coach Arthur Zwane has heaped praise on the attitude of his players after the club recorded their first win of the 2024/2025 campaign on Tuesday night.
Usuthu scored two first-half goals through Pule Ekstein and Celimpilo Ngema and held on to win 2-0 against Chippa United at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban to momentarily move off the bottom of the Premiership table.
The KwaZulu-Natal club had endured a horror start to the new season, losing their first five matches in all competitions, which led to the sacking of Pablo Franco Martin and the appointment of Zwane and Vusumuzi Vilakazi as co-coaches.
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Sweet victory at Moses Mabhida Stadium.#AmaZuluFC 2⃣ ➖ 0⃣ Chippa#Isagila#HebeUsuthu#UsuthuTogether pic.twitter.com/iitLSyElTR
The duo took charge in two of those losses, against Stellenbosch and Orlando Pirates, but emerged from those disappointing results with positives to reflect on.
In a scintillating first-half showing, Usuthu looked a different side against the Chilli Boys and gave Zwane a reason to smile about in the post-match conference.
The former Kaizer Chiefs mentor singled out the demeanour of his players since taking over and on match-day.
“More than anything today, I must say I’m proud of the boys and the attitude they showed approaching the game. They showed character, and we’d love to take that to a different level moving forward,” Zwane said.
“We needed to punish a lot of their mistakes, and I think the players executed that perfectly – and I must give them credit for that.
“Also, their tactical endurance when their energy levels were depleted, they kept the focus and the discipline because we knew it was going to be war on the field.”
WIth the club having finished closer to the relegation zone than in the top spots in the league in the past two seasons, suggestions had begun to swirl that they might be headed for a similar case this season.
However, Zwane refused to be drawn into those discussions, and instead insisted his side were targeting a place higher up the standings.
“I wouldn’t say this is a turning point. It’s still early. I know people will say we are fighting relegation, but how can you fight relegation when you still have 25 games left?” he said.
“There’s still a lot to play for. We can only speak about relegation when you’re left with five games, depending on how the other teams are playing and the gap.
“Right now, we’re not thinking about relegation. We’re thinking about improving the team and challenging, because we are in this league to compete.”
We are grateful. Your energy fuelled us all night. You never stopped singing. Siyabonga! 🙌🏾💚#ThatsPower#HebeUsuthu#UsuthuTogether pic.twitter.com/IsMcxITdsb
— AmaZulu FC (@AmaZuluFootball) October 30, 2024
Due to their elimination from the Carling Knockout Cup, Usuthu will have an extended break, and Zwane plans to use this wisely.
“The break we’re going to get now as well is a blessing in disguise, because we get a chance to work on a couple of things, so we can get better.”
They will return with what is expected to be a highly-contested fixture against KZN rivals Richards Bay.