Lamontville Golden Arrows have in many ways been the surprise package of this 2023/24 domestic season, making their best ever start to a league campaign and into the quarterfinals of the Carling Knockout.
Abafana Bes’thende are seeking to repeat their trophy success in 2009 when they lifted the MTN8, beating Ajax Cape Town 6-0 in the final, still a South African record score in a cup decider.
They make the short journey to AmaZulu in their quarterfinal on Saturday, who they have beaten in their last three meetings.
Golden Arrows missed put on the top eight on the final day of last season and lost co-coach Vusi Vilakazi early in this campaign, leaving their former striker Mabhuti Khenyeza in sole charge of the team.
Still, they have six wins in nine league games (D2 L1), with their only defeat in 10 games in all competitions this season coming away at Mamelodi Sundowns, certainly no disgrace there.
“I don’t know where we are going with this club, but what is important is we are ambitious as a group,” Khenyeza said.
"As a coach, I have created that because based on my playing days and experience, I always wanted more all the time. I don’t know if it will be the end of the drought now, it can be next year, but at the end of the day we want to end that.
“The only thing I can assure you is we are hungry enough and we want to achieve everything we want. If it doesn’t happen, it won’t be a crisis or stop our mission. As long as you have this thing that you want to win, you will.”
Golden Arrows’ confidence received a boost at the weekend when they defeated Kaizer Chiefs 2-1, but Khenyeza is not getting carried away.
“We have a rule here that we can only celebrate for 48 hours and after that, it’s done. That result against Chiefs, we must forget it. This is a new game, a different challenge with different opposition,” he said.
“What we have done before doesn’t determine what we should do. I even forgot about that win against Chiefs and the focus is on AmaZulu now, that’s what is important.
“Football is not about the past but what you have to do and we try by all means to make sure we are humble all the way.”
Khenyeza scored for Golden Arrows when they beat AmaZulu 2-1 in the 2003 edition of the Carling Knockout competition, and then got one in the quarterfinal as they edged Manning Rangers 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller.
That was one of three semifinal appearances for the club and would end in a 1-0 loss to Silver Stars.
They returned to the Last 4 in 2011 but went down 3-1 to Orlando Pirates, and then again in 2019 when Sundowns beat them 2-1. It is as far as they have got.
That with over Usuthu is also the only time they have met their local rivals in the Carling Knockout.
But overall the teams have met on 37 previous occasions, with Golden Arrows winning 18 of those to go with 12 victories for AmaZulu and seven draws.
Khenyeza scored four goals for Golden Arrows in games against AmaZulu, a number only bettered by current striker Knox Mutizwa, who has five. That is the best success anyone on either side had had.
That defeat to Sundowns in August remains Golden Arrows’ only loss in all competitions since April, a run of 13 games (W8 D4). They have won six of their last seven games (D1).