Arrows coach Ncikazi targeting 12 points in four league games against three Limpopo clubs
Lamontville Golden Arrows coach Mandla Ncikazi is targeting 12 points in the four league games his charges will play against three Limpopo clubs.
Arrows will face Black Leopards twice‚ newcomers Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) and Baroka FC within the space of 16 days.
Ncikazi has every reason to be confident of achieving this target as his unheralded Arrows were named as the winners of the second quarter of the 2020-21 league campaign after an impressive run of five wins‚ a draw and a defeat.
The fourth-placed Arrows start the hunt for the 12 points when they host bottom-placed Leopards at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban on Tuesday.
Baroka will be the next to visit Arrows on March 3 before two away ties at the Thohoyandou Stadium where Ncikazi’s team will face Leopards on March 7 before completing their Limpopo trip with a clash against TTM on March 10.
“Please allow me to thank our players and to thank the technical team members for their great effort in collecting the most points in seven games‚ winning the second Q-Innovation‚ becoming the first KwaZulu-Natal team to ever win this accolade and being the best in collecting 16 points in seven games‚” Ncikazi said after they pipped log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns‚ the Q-1 winners‚ by one point.
“This is for the first time in the history of the PSL and I’m really proud and honoured to be part of this group.
“Let this be a motivation to try to win the next Q-Innovation by collecting 12 points from the Limpopo teams in the next four games.”
Ncikazi‚ in his maiden campaign as Arrows head coach after succeeding Steve Komphela at the start of the season‚ said his team was capable of collecting full points in their next four matches as long as they approach every game the same way.
“Anything is possible when the Arrows are pointing in the same direction‚” he said.
“The most challenging part now will be the next matches where the team must maintain consistency and play some matches as favourites‚ and not as underdogs.
“Our mentality has to be the best in not judging teams according to the log standings‚ but respecting and adapting to their game plans‚ and imposing our strong offensive game after gaining possession.
“I’m optimistic that with such a mentality‚ the sky is the limit.”
Arrows' five wins in the second quarter included an impressive 2-0 victory over Orlando Pirates at the beginning of the month‚ a 3-1 away win over Stellenbosch FC in their last match‚ a 2-1 win over Maritzburg United‚ a 4-2 away victory against Cape Town City and a 1-0 home win against TTM.