That will be our ticket to the final

Celine Abrahams: Knox, it was your two goals that got Golden Arrows to the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup. What did you think of the performance of the team before the changes made in the second half in the match against Bloemfontein Celtic?

Knox Mutizwa:

I think we played well and getting those two goals meant a lot to me. It is my job as a striker to score goals and I am happy that I was able to do that for the team. Going into the semi-finals is also a nice feeling and it is the second time since I’ve been here that we are at this stage, so it is really good for us to have another chance to go to the final. Against Celtic, it was only in the second half that the game changed and (Lerato) Lamola and I combined well, as you saw with the first goal I scored. Even with the Cape Town City game, in the league, the same happened where in the second half we changed the game and I came from the bench again to score. So, maybe our luck is on the bench (laughs), but it is all about team effort and we are happy that we’ve made it to this stage.

CA: That is something that your opponents, TS Galaxy, would have taken note of.

KM:

Yeah, they will study us and we will study them. It will be difficult for us if the game plays out like it has in the past few games, but we are fighters. We know TS Galaxy and everyone is saying, “Ah, no, they are a small team.” But we know what we are going up against. We are going up against football players who want to win something, so anything can happen. That’s why our coach (Steve Komphela) is telling us to focus and put more than 100 percent in that game. That will be our ticket to the final, but it’s not going to be an easy game. We are not going to underestimate them. It will mean so much to the club if we go on to win this game and make it to the final. If you can see how motivated our players are now that we’ve reached the semifinal, it just shows how much it means to everyone to be in this position and get a chance to win something. We can’t wait to play the game and beat Galaxy to go to the final (giggles).

CA: Sounding very confident, Knox. There’s been enough noise made about it… coach Steve has not won any silverware in his coaching career.

KM:

It is very funny because he keeps on telling us that we mustn’t play for him but for the club and ourselves. He told us that if we win this cup, it would not be for him but for the work that we’ve done. But we want to win it for him! I honestly didn’t know that he hasn’t won a trophy in his coaching career and now that makes me want to win it even more because he is a good coach and he deserves to have something to show for his hard work. He has helped us a lot since he came into the team and I think the demands that he makes and what he wants to see from everyone in the team has been pushing us. These days, when we go onto the field, we don’t want to make mistakes because we know how much hard work he has put into every player in the team and we can’t let him down. Well, we would also be in big trouble if we did (laughs).

CA: It must be noted, though, that Arrows have only played one Absa Premiership team in this competition so far, having faced Tjakastad Shepherds and Witbank Spurs earlier. Some would say you’ve had the luck of the draw.

KM: Those so-called smaller teams make you sweat! We played both of those games away and it was difficult. Ja, some people will say that we’ve had an easy campaign so far, but honestly, it wasn’t easy. If you look at our opponents, they haven’t played a PSL team in this competition, so it’s going to be very interesting to see how they are going to come at us. We are playing at home and we are hoping that our supporters, who have been coming out to our games, will be there to back us because I can tell you that if I was a player for Galaxy, I would tell myself and my teammates that we are going there to fight to win. We are not expecting them to come and just show face because they also have history that they want to make and they have a good coach in Dan (Malesela), who has a lot of experience. We are looking forward to the game and hopefully the next time you hear from me, we will have had the title. CA: All the best, then! KM: Thanks so much.