Maritzburg United coach John Maduka was impressed with the character his side showed in their hard-fought 1-0 victory against Orlando Pirates at Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday, insisting that his men are getting better.
Maduka’s troops showed discipline in defence, despite mounting pressure from the Buccaneers, who attacked Maritzburg from the first minute of the game.
The resilient Team of Choice didn’t sit back and defend as they took the game to Pirates and got rewarded with a penalty in the last 80th minute, which Amadou Soukouna converted.
Maduka was full of praise for his charges and went on to single out goalkeeper King Ndlovu as the standout performer in the encounter. Once linked with Pirates, Ndlovu walked away with the Man of the Match award after making several crucial saves.
“I’m so proud of the boys; they showed character; even under pressure, we managed to defend well,” said Maduka.
“We know the best way to deal with Pirates was to contain them. They have good pace, and we had to defend well, be disciplined and capitalise on their weakness at the back, and we got a penalty.
“King Ndlovu was on another level; he did extremely well. King played like a sweeper; he was unbelievable. We defended very well as a team; I’m so proud of the boys, they showed character, and we are getting better and better,” added the Maritzburg tactician.
Over the weekend, all five KwaZulu-Natal sides managed to avoid defeats Golden Arrows, Richards Bay, Royal AM and Maritzburg winning their respective games, while AmaZulu FC drew.
Maduka said such positive results are for the province and hopes all the KZN teams will be consistent in the remaining league games.
“It is very good for KwaZulu-Natal. It is a huge reward for the passion this province has; even though other teams dominate their games, it is good for this beautiful province, and we hope for consistency. This province deserves better.”
