A crestfallen Golden Arrows have been left to feed off scraps of confidence as they prepare for a tough test against Orlando Pirates this weekend.
The Golden Arrows story of the 2023-2024 campaign has already provided so much commentary, conversation and all-round drama both on and off the pitch as their early-season trajectory hit a staggering halt.
A side that a few months ago were dubbed one of the most exciting and cut-throat outfits in the top flight now look like a shadow of their former selves.
The Durban-based outfit led the chasing pack after the first nine matches with resounding performances in attack and defence, which also led to a few of their players catching the eye of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.
However, Arrows’ last win in all competitions came at home against Kaizer Chiefs in October.
Since then, coach Mabhuti Khenyeza and his men have gone on a horrid five-match losing streak.
Arrows are now two games away from matching the club’s worst streak – a seven-game losing run back in 2014. Their recent poor efforts have also seen them eliminated from the Carling Knockout Cup, while dropping to seventh in the DStv Premiership, just three points off 12th-placed Royal AM.
Arrows’ chances of ending their appalling stretch of performances do not get any easier as they face a Pirates side on Sunday at Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale (3pm kick-off) with their tails up at the moment.
The Buccaneers have seemingly shaken off their own wobble, and have gone on to win four of their last five league matches and drawn the other, while keeping five clean sheets in the process – so they are perhaps the worst team to be tussling with at the moment.
The Soweto giants will also welcome back Thembinkosi
Lorch, who has served his in-club suspension, suggesting Arrows might be in for another nightmare encounter if they don’t establish control sooner or later.
However, a squad low on confidence, goals and leaders in defensive zones have been left to scramble for morale ahead of the Pirates clash.
The Mpumalanga Stadium will have to carry the home side with huge support if they are to find it in them to find the back of the net again, an attribute that has been the hallmark of Abafana Bes’thende since the beginning of the season.
Arrows have now scored just a single goal in their last six games in all competitions while conceding
10, a drastic drop off from a side that had scored in eight of the 10 games before that. Many eyes will be looking at club captain Nduduzo Sibiya, experienced head Knox Mutizwa and former Pirates man Tebogo Tlolane to bring back that spark in attack – and what a story it would be to end a poor run against yet another Soweto giant.
IOL Sport