LAMONTVILLE Golden Arrows will not move from their culture of playing grass-fed football and believing in young players, according to the new coach, Pitso Dladla.
Dladla, who joined Golden Arrows in June from Durban City where he won the Nedbank Cup in May, replaced Manqoba Mngqithi who left the club to join Young Africans SC from Tanzania.
Last season under Mngqithi, the Arrows reached the semi-finals of the Carling Knockout, finishing sixth on the Betway Premiership log.
It returned to the MTN8 for the first time after four seasons of failing to finish in the Top 8 since 2020/2021.
“When you coach in a professional football team, you always want to win. If you have felt the feeling of victory (trophy) before, you have that longing to win another one.
“So we need to prepare well to face each game when the season starts,” said Dladla who will be assisted by James Madidilane who is his deputy.
“The good thing is that Arrows have players that I have worked with before. I ask the fans of the team to be brave, we will continue with the football that Arrows was playing.The Premier’s Cup games will give us a clear picture of the team we have before the start of the season.”
The Arrows who won the MTN8 in 2009 under Mngqithi, since being promoted to the Premiership in the 1999/2000 season, are known for having players who can eat with swing and speed and put the ball down.
Dladla is faced with the difficult task of reuniting the team after the loss of trusted players including Siyanda “Skhwishi” Ndlovu who joined Mamelodi Sundowns, Ismael Cisse who is heading to Royal Charleroi of Belgium, Keenan Philips who joined AmaZulu FC and others.
The Bes’thende boys who will play Milford FC in the opening game in the KZN Premier’s Cup on July 25, will open the 2026/2027 Betway Premiership season with a home game against Chippa United, at King Zwelithini Stadium, Mlaza, on August 1.