Dladla faces former club Durban City in KwaZulu-Natal derby

Golden Arrows coach Pitso Dladla will face former club Durban City on Wednesday as he looks to deepen their difficult start to the season in the Betway Premiership KwaZulu-Natal derby at Chatsworth Stadium (19:30 BST).

Dladla guided Durban City to a historic Nedbank Cup triumph last season before leaving at the end of the campaign to take charge of neighbours Golden Arrows. He now returns to face the club he led to silverware, with both sides entering the derby in sharply contrasting form.

Durban City have lost their opening two league matches, including a defeat by Sekhukhune United, and then suffered a late blow in a 2-1 loss to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 quarter-final on Saturday.

The result leaves new coach Khalil Ben Youssef under early pressure. City will be determined to avoid a third consecutive defeat this season and secure their first points under the Tunisian coach.

Golden Arrows, known as Abafana Be’sthende, have made a more encouraging start under Dladla. They began their league campaign with a goalless draw against Chippa United before producing a notable 1-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the cup competition on Sunday.

Dladla will hope to claim victory against his former employers, although he believes there is still considerable room for improvement despite being pleased with the way his team have begun the campaign.

“I’m very happy for the players who have shown a high level of confidence because if you look at our training sessions, this is how we play, and also, if you check the players that are brought in by the club, they are those that are technically gifted,” Dladla said.

“So, that’s the only way we should play according to our strengths, and I believe that we are not where we want to be; there is still a lot of room for improvement, but I’m happy with how we are playing currently.”

Ben Youssef acknowledged the pressure that comes with taking charge of a new club, particularly after successive defeats, but said the board would assess his work after 15 matches rather than make an immediate judgement.

“I think as a coach, when you come to a new team, you don’t open your luggage; you keep your luggage always ready. That’s part of our job; we are always at risk.

“I think the discussion with the board was to make the first proper analysis about the work after 15 games.

“There is a target that we put together inside. There are a number of points that we have to achieve.”

The derby gives Durban City the opportunity to respond quickly after their MTN8 disappointment, while Golden Arrows will aim to build on their win over Kaizer Chiefs and maintain their positive momentum under Dladla.

The match at Chatsworth Stadium is scheduled to begin at 19:30 BST.

Source: Sowetan