Golden Arrows set for an uphill battle against Stellenbosch

Lamontville Golden Arrows head into Wednesday night’s away fixture against Stellenbosch FC in Cape Town knowing a win is imperative.

Currently ninth in the Betway Premiership, with 13 points from nine matches (four wins, one draw, fouur defeats; 10 goals scored, and nine conceded), they need to translate ambition into results — and doing so on the road raises the challenge significantly.

Veteran coach Manqoba Mngqithi has been vocal about the team’s potential, yet admits consistency remains a work in progress.

“They excite me… the team has improved in leaps and bounds in many aspects,” he said, “but we will have to see when it comes to real business whether we are where we think we are or still have a lot of work to do.”

Mngqithi's said his vision for this season was building a team worthy of competing at the top and not one that was content with being in the top 8. 

Those words are backed by recent results that suggest Arrows are not intimidated by facing the league’s elite. Just recently, they stunned reigning champions and Mngqithi's former club, Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 — their first league victory over Sundowns in more than five years.

That win elevated Arrows to ninth on the log and injected fresh belief into the squad. They followed that up with a dominant 3-0 home win against newly-promoted Orbit College, with midfielder Siyanda Ndlovu registering a goal and two assists. 

That pair of wins gives Arrows confidence going into the clash with Stellenbosch, knowing they can tango with the elite clubs and deliver when required. However, replicating that performance on away from home remains a key obstacle to overcome. 

Stellenbosch, for their part, will believe this is an opportunity. Although the venue is shifted to Athlone Stadium due to renovations at their usual home ground, their recent home performances have shown resilience.

Arrows will need to bring sharpness in attack and composure in defence to overcome both the opponent and the travel demands.

If Arrows can apply the M.O from their Sundowns win — discipline, taking their chances, and counter-attacking efficiency — they’ll give themselves a good shot at victory. But any drop in intensity or focus could see their momentum stall.

For Mngqithi’s vision of competing for trophies, Wednesday’s result will be a strong barometre: either a statement of intent or a reminder that potential must still be matched by consistency.