Joey Antipas goes in into the South African National First Division mid-season break on a roll with his side AmaZulu having put together with three straight victories in the league to set themselves on a good footing to fight for a place for the promotional play-offs when the programme resumes in February next year.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
After going three matches without a win, AmaZulu picked up nine points from three successive matches ending the first half of the 2016-2017 season with a 6-1 emphatic win over Milano United on Saturday at Princess Magogo Stadium, which has seen them rise to position four on the table with 23 points, 12 behind leaders Thanda Royal Zulu.
Before that, Antipas’ side edged Santos 1-0 away at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on December 10 and recorded another 3-2 home win over Royal Eagles at Princess Magogo four days earlier.
After thumping Milano on Saturday, the 2015 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League-winning coach with Chicken Inn is hoping for a better second half of the season.
“The good thing is that we finished with aplomb, I’m just happy we managed to get an advantageous result,” Antipas said on the club’s website yesterday. “One thing for sure is that it gives us confidence in going forward because you never know what can happen. We just have to now look forward to the second round and go out there and fight,” Antipas said.
AmaZulu kick off the second half of the season with a game away to University of Pretoria (AmaTuks).
They will be joined next month by Caps United defender Steven Makatuka, who links up with fellow Zimbabweans in veteran goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro and former Chicken Inn and Tsholotsho FC midfielder Butholezwe Ncube.
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Despite mixed fortunes in the first half of the season, which saw the former Premier Soccer League side lose six games, with seven wins and two draws, the management at AmaZulu has shown faith in Antipas, who joined Usuthu at the start of the season with his trusted lieutenant Prince Matore, who is his assistant.
