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. 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.

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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...

RH: Arrows and Richards Bay are two of the toughest opponents you could ever ask for, but obviously we ended the year on a high, winning 1-0 against Arrows. I think it was important to stamp our authority and set a way forward for the new year. It was good to end the year on a high. Looking back at the Arrows game, there wasn't much difference between the two sides except for the chances created. Arrows missed a penalty in the first half and had a couple of chances before we scored. I think if you really want to win games, you need to take your chances, otherwise the team that wasn’t really there the whole game gets one chance and they score. The 1-0 result was not the true reflection of the game, although we came out to play, I think Arrows also came out to play to the best of their abilities, it’s just that they couldn’t convert their chances.

MB: Looking at the last five league matches, you've won three and lost two. What does that mean in terms of your side’s form?