Swallows coach Brandon Truter has hailed Ruzaigh Gamildien’s performance in their 2-1 victory over Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 quarterfinal at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
Gamildien seems to have put his failed move to Kaizer Chiefs behind him after he netted a brace for Swallows to send them to the two-legged semifinals.
Truter said the striker is in a better space now after Chiefs backtracked on their agreement to recruit him after Stuart Baxter’s arrival.
“I think towards the end when the interest broke in the media that he might be going to Chiefs, I think that disturbed his rhythm last season,” Truter told the media after the match.
“But the deal fell through basically because of the duration of a contract and what Chiefs were offering. Swallows came out and bettered the deal, and that brought stability. I think once the player is stable, the coach is happy with him and he is part of the family. A stable and happy player will perform like this and I’m happy for him.”
Truter added that the arrival of striker Mwape Msonda also pushed Gamildien out of his comfort zone.
“Musonda is another reason Gamildien performs like this. The quality of Musonda is evident, but in terms of the conditioning he is at is still lacking,” he said.
“But what I can expect to see from him is 15 to 20 minutes when he plays. He also has issues surrounding his work permit because he did play outside the country. What we can control now is to try to get him to be match fit.”
Truter also feels his side is on the right track following the victory against Pirates, but that they won’t get big-headed because of the results.
“I speak a lot about our philosophy and our DNA, something that is not negotiable. This is what I demand from the players. [That's what] the culture of Swallows is about. Right now we are on the right track but there is still so much work still to be done.”
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