Amazulu face the might of the in-form Maulers
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
The kingdom of the Zulus which is the capital of conferences will not be hosting a conference this weekend but a derby match between Manning Rangers and Amazulu. There will be no debates or talk shows about any issues affecting the country or world but a game of football between the one-time Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions Manning Rangers and the once-mighty Usuthu.
Manning Rangers are nicknamed the Mighty Maulers and they have shown why this season. They avoided relegation by a whisker last season but have rebounded and are in contention for the PSL title and any other available cup competition this time around. The difference might be that they have acquired the services of former Bafana Bafana coach Clive “the Dog” Barker.
The Maulers showed their new might in the first match this season by walloping Hellenic 7-0, and have also thrashed Classic 5-1.
They were brought back to reality by former coach Gordon Igesund, who now coaches Santos, when they were beaten 5-2.
Unsurprisingly, considering the South African managerial merry-go-round, Barker was the man in charge when Santos won the Bob Save Super Bowl last season beating Sundowns in the final.
Instead of seeing the Santos loss as a big issue, the Maulers immediately got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Jomo Cosmos. But the cherry on top was Gilbert Mushan-gazike’s four goals against Supersport United recently.
Rangers are the only team in the PSL to have scored more than four goals in a match since the season began and their take-no-prisoners performances should be enough to strike fear into the hearts of the newly promoted Amazulu.
Mushangazike has become a goalkeeper’s nightmare and a menace to defenders of the opposition team. He was the league’s top goalscorer last season despite the overall poor performance of the team, and appears to want to repeat his 19-goal haul in the PSL.
The season record in the top flight is 28 goals, scored by former Kaizer Chiefs player and now assistant coach of Classic, Fani Madida.
There seems to be something that Barker has up his sleeve whenever he takes charge of a team. With the Dog barking out the orders, Rangers have become a formidable team reminiscent of the club’s golden age when they won the inaugural PSL title in 1996/1997.
Barker’s aeroplane impressions bring back memories of the days when he coached Bafana to their first African Cup of Nations trophy in 1996 and their first World Cup appearance. The extrovert coach’s antics now include push-ups whenever his team wins with the players joining in since he moved to Rangers.
The odds are stacked against Amazulu in this derby match. The Usuthu’s record so far this season is nothing to write home about. They have played seven games, won one, drawn four and lost two and the road ahead looks dim for them unless they begin to win games.
Their first derby game against Golden Arrows ended in a goalless draw, and Rangers are unlikely to do Amazulu any favours.
Rangers are now in the quarter- finals of the Coca-Cola Cup, while Amazulu who won the competition in 1992 have already been knocked out.