Fadlu proves his mettle with massive win at Downs
Young Maritzburg mentor wants to fulfill tough top-five mandate
The difficult transition from being a footballer to a coach has tripped up many in the past but Maritzburg United coach Fadlu Davids has shown he is of a special breed, with great potential.
After steering Maritzburg to a seventh-place finish last season, he has gone one step further in guiding the team to the semifinals of the MTN8.
The Team of Choice marched on to the last four of the competition after a 1-0 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday.
Davids has been in charge of Maritzburg for 22 matches in all competitions, with a record of eight wins, seven losses and seven draws.
The former striker will not only have to contend with motivating his players, but he will also have to manage the realities of limited financial resources in his first official season as head coach.
The 36-year-old has in the past served numerous stints as assistant and caretaker coach at the Pietermaritzburg-based outfit. Club chairman Farook Kadodia will have high expectations of his rookie coach after showing great confidence to hand him a two-year contract with an option (to renew) for a third.
“I’ve said it to the chairman that we have to aim higher and try our best to achieve our targets,” Davids said.
“He [Kadodia] said he wants us to achieve top five in the next three years, but I think in the next three years we have to be in the top eight consistently.
Their top-eight finish last season was an immense achievement, especially after narrowly avoiding relegation in the previous season.
Davids wants his players to ride the wave of their momentum in the new PSL campaign starting against Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday (3pm).
“I think the match [against Sundowns] gave us a lot of information to start the league and I think we will be much better prepared.”