Vusumuzi Vilakazi wants to consolidate Golden Arrows’ top 8 spot

Arrows are currently in eighth on the standings with 37 points, and are tied with sixth-placed Stellenbosch FC, Sekhukhune United in seventh, and Swallows FC in ninth, with only one fixture remaining in the season.

A victory against Chippa will be vital for Abafana Bes’thende’s hope, but the winning margin could ultimately decide their fate on goal difference.

Asked if their will to win against the Chilli Boys, who occupy the relegation play-off spot in 15th, is encouraged by trying to save their crosstown neighbours and bottom-side Maritzburg United, Vilakazi stressed their focus is on their own battle.

“We are also playing for something. Right now we are sitting on position eight, but we are not safe because there are three teams on 37 points, so we still need to win our game to maintain our position,” said Vilakazi.

“Also, in football, you can hear rumours about favours and stuff but there's never a formal approach in terms of that because that will be unprofessional. We would love to see Maritzburg survive relegation as a KZN team but unfortunately, we have to fight our battles.”

The 41-year-old has blamed injuries for his club's inconsistent performances this season, with Arrows having won just two of their last five fixtures.

“We were unfortunate that we had a lot of injuries. Beginning of the season, [Thabani] Zuke was out and we had to come up with a solution for our defensive structure,” he explained.

“Themba Matshiyane is not a centre-back, he's a left-back. Those are some of the things that weakened our defense. We converted a lot of players, removing them from their positions, trying to find solutions for our centre back.”

The coach says his team has always dominated games, with their challenge being converting their chances in front of goal – testament to this being their five goals scored in their last five outings.

“We've never lost three or four games in a row, we only lost two games in a row then on the third one we won. It happened twice where we lost two games in a row but then winning the third one or playing a draw,” said Vilakazi.

“Obviously, to people it looks like a poor run because we are expected to generate results, but our team has always been dominating. However, playing nice football doesn't win you games.”

By Nozibusiso Sibiya & Nkululeko Dladla