If ever Golden Arrows needed a game to test their resolve it was Saturday's 2-2 Absa Premiership result against Polokwane City at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu was it.
Arrows extended their unbeaten start to the league campaign to nine games by twice coming back from behind to earn a draw. This time they scored at the death, signalling the youthful oufit’s never-say-die attitude. The result also stretched Arrows’ unbeaten start to 10 games if their 2-2 normal time result in the
MTN8 at the start of the season is taken into account.
Yesterday the Zimbabwean connection of second half substitute Thomas Chideu and Knox Mutizwa did the business for Arrows with a goal in each half to collect the point.
Having blitzed AmaZulu 3-2 midweek, Polokwane coach Bernard Molekwa stuck with the same line-up in search of a Durban double. And they made a decent start by taking the opening goal in the seventh minute. Rodney Ramagalela continued where he left off against AmaZulu by tapping in after midfielder Jabulani Maluleke’s free-kick hit the bar and bounced back into play.
On Wednesday the striker scored Polokwane’s final goal which helped his team snap a five-game winless run in the league.
Polokwane City's Sammy Seabi clears ball from Jabulani Shongwe of Golden Arrows dueing their 2-2 draw in KwaMashu. Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
Ramagalela bagged one of the easiest goals of his career to give the visitors the lead against his former club. The goal was his sixth of the campaign and singled the former Mamelodi Sundowns man out as the league’s leading scorer.
The advantage lasted three minutes. Arrows hit back comfortably, with Zimbabwean forward Knox Mutizwa heading in a cross by strike partner Lerato Lamola.
After the break, backed by a small but vocal home crowd, Arrows pressed for the lead. Home coach Clinton Larsen made a double switch, sending on fresh attacking midfield pair Nkanyiso Cele and Yusuf Jappie in place of Jabulani Shongwe and Siphelele Magubane midway through the half.
The changes swung the momentum in favour of the Durban outfit. The ball bobbled more in the Polokwane half but without significant trouble to goalkeeper George Chigova.
Instead Polokwane stunned their hosts by regaining the lead. Ramagalela stamped his influence on the clash by turning provider. His pass found midfielder Sammy Seabi storming in unmarked at the back post to bundle the ball in to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes to play.
Desperate to get back into the tie, Larsen made his final change by introducing Thomas Chideu for Lamola. The move paid off with the Zimbabwean opening his account with a blazing shot from the edge of the box in the dying minutes to salvage a draw and maintain their unbeaten league start.