Maduka chalks up more wins at Royal AM

With Royal AM unbeaten in five matches, coach John Maduka says he has managed to get it right since he rejoined the team earlier last month.

While he insisted the team is still work in progress, Maduka is content with the results he is getting with three wins and two draws across all competitions.

Speaking after his team beat Sekhukhune United 2-0 at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday to complete a league double, Maduka said the plan was to stick to a consistent line-up, which is now giving him the results.

“First, you can see even the consistency of the team. We don’t normally change it much. Remember, you must have a team that is consistent week in and week out,” Maduka told the media after the match.

“If there has to be a change, it will be a loss of form or a player is injured. So it is a forced change when you do that, but for the team to be fit, we must keep it that way.

“Before, you will see the team dropping the tempo after 60 minutes, but now we raise the bar and we take the game away from the opponents at that moment.”

On Saturday, veteran Thabo Matlaba and Ruzaigh Gamildien scored goals on either side of the half to give Thwihli Thwahla maximum points.

Maduka was full of praise for his veterans, including Elias Pelembe, who assisted in the second goal.

“You could see that age is just a number. He [Pelembe] goes in there and works hard. You could see other players who are old but are up and down,” he said.

“Most of them work so hard, including Matlaba. They work so hard and when it comes to the game, they give their best in all the sessions we have. I’m happy to work with players of that calibre.

“We must manage them well because they have to be ready physically. They also have experience, so we need to manage them and prepare them in such a way that in a match they are ready and fresh so they can give their best.”

Elsewhere, Cape Town City beat Maritzburg United 2-1 away also on Saturday.