Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has openly acknowledged his surprise at the team’s recent upturn in form.
While Arrows have shown an impressive resurgence in their performances, results have not always been consistent. Their Carling Knockout Cup run ended in the semi-finals, cutting short their hopes of reaching a first final since 2009.
Currently ninth on the Betway Premiership table with 16 points from 12 matches, Mngqithi admits he didn’t expect the team to progress this quickly. He believed they would only begin to find real stability after around 15 league games.
Still, he praised the squad for making it as far as the Carling Knockout semi-finals — a stage the club is not used to reaching.
“When we started the season, if you’d say we would be in the semi-final of the Carling Knockout, they would have looked at you and say the coach is dreaming,” said Mngqithi.
“For them to be where we are, we feel very positive. I didn’t anticipate we would be where we are now.
“My target was to see this team, after 15 matches in the league, I hoped that’s where a lot of things would have gelled.
“For them to have done as good as they have in some of the matches, they deserve credit. The reality is that this was a team that was on the other side of the table last season.
“The strives they have made in such a short period of time should be appreciated.”
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