Nobody gave us a chance

AmaZulu FC ended the year on a high note, beating KZN rivals Golden Arrows 1-0 in their last league match of the year, with captain Riaan Hanamub scoring the winner and in the process earning the Man of the Match award.

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Going into the mid-season break, Usuthu are fifth in the log standings with 24 points, having won seven, lost four and drawn three of their 14 league matches. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Mzoxolo Budaza, the Namibian international highlights what made Usuthu tick in the first round of the season, the challenges faced along the way, as well as what should be expected in the new year. He also emphasises his desire to lead the club to CAF inter-club competition in the near future, and what needs to be done to reach that target.

Mzoxolo Budaza: Thanks for your time, Riaan. You ended the year on a high, scoring in the 1-0 win against Golden Arrows.

Riaan Hanamub: Thank you for having me, my man. Obviously, that was a big game and a lot was at stake; we were also coming from the setback of losing 2-0 against Richards Bay FC. So, we had to pull up our socks and ensure we get back to winning ways. We should thank the coach and the technical team for helping us and giving us the necessary support, the confidence and the belief that we needed, because derbies are not based on recent form or where you are in the log standings. It’s about who wants it more and I think Arrows also gave us a run for our money, they came out guns-blazing. We, on the other hand, had to make sure we came back from the setback of the previous game.

MB: We hear you...