Manqoba Mngqithi's Golden Arrows look to capitalise on Orbit College’s slump

Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has set his sights on booking a place in the Nedbank Cup last 16 as his side prepares for a potentially tricky round of 32 encounter against Orbit College at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday evening (6pm kickoff).

Abafana Bes’thende are still chasing their first Nedbank Cup title in the club’s history and will be eager to avoid another early exit, having been eliminated at this stage in each of the last two seasons. Arrows were knocked out 2-1 by Chippa United last season, while TS Galaxy claimed a similar 2-1 victory the year before — both defeats coming on home soil.

Despite their recent struggles in this tournament, the former MTN8 champions will draw confidence from their league meeting with Orbit College earlier this season, where they secured a convincing 3-0 victory.

Arrows will also look to capitalise on the pressure facing Pogiso Makhoye’s side, who have endured a difficult run of form, going six matches without a win since their 3-1 triumph over Magesi FC in early November.

The KwaZulu-Natal outfit, however, have also found consistency hard to come by, failing to win any of their last five matches, including four defeats. Mngqithi has acknowledged the challenge ahead, warning that familiarity between the two sides could make the tie even more demanding.

“It’s a tricky encounter playing against a team we have already played against this season,” said Mngqithi. “It will be tricky because they will give everything in this game, and we also have the responsibility to get ourselves into the hat for the last 16.

It will be a complicated game, especially since they have brought in some players like Ben Motshwari and Surprise Ralani. They are a completely different team when the striker Ayanda Lukhele plays. We know it’s not going to be an easy encounter, and we have to do our work.”

Earlier this season, Abafana Bes’thende enjoyed a promising cup run in the Carling Knockout, reaching the semi-finals before bowing out to Marumo Gallants. That tightly contested encounter ended 2-2 after normal time, with Gallants eventually advancing after a 4-2 penalty shootout victory.

Looking beyond this weekend’s clash, Mngqithi emphasised that the current campaign remains a building phase for his squad, stressing the importance of steady progress rather than placing unnecessary pressure on his players.

“I wouldn’t want to put any stress on the team. I think this season is a proper building and consolidation phase,” he explained.

“I was surprised that we managed to go as far as the semi-finals of the Carling Knockout because, in my perspective, there is still so much work to be done. I have a lot of players who didn’t play PSL football before, and when they do well I get excited but don’t get carried away.

“I am expecting a stronger year this year. I think we are going to be much better defensively, and we will still continue to score goals. I am confident the team is in a good space in terms of chance creation; we just have to settle down, kill the anxiety and see what we can get.”

The 54-year-old coach did not rule out the possibility of a deep cup run, even opening the door to potential CAF qualification — an achievement he would gladly welcome should it materialise.

“In terms of where we want to be in the cup, at this stage I just want to take it one game at a time and see how far we can go. If we can make the semi-finals, I would be excited, of course — but why not get to the final? I would also like to see a team like Golden Arrows get an opportunity to represent itself in Africa, and if an opportunity like that arises, I would appreciate it.”