John Maduka happy with performance
Malawian coach John Maduka has hailed his South Africa DStv Premiership side Royal AM for registering two back-to-back wins.
Royal are in the news after securing an emphatic 4-1 win over giants Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
The match was Maduka’s 50th since taking over as Bloemfontein Celtic head coach in July last year.
The 50-year-old was a caretaker coach at Celtic, where he also served as team manager for several years after hanging up his boots in 2009.
The win put to rest the high-profile drama behind the scenes at Royal since their joining of the DStv Premiership.
Maduka said there were challenges as the team was going through a transition period.
“Psychologically we were not ready but then suddenly something like that [Royal AM purchasing Bloem Celtic’s status] happened. The boys have been getting better and better and the team has done very well with the new chairlady and the whole management.
“They have tried their best to make things get better and psychologically to help wherever they can so that the players focus on the coming games. It is not easy whenever there is a transition, but we are getting better because of the help of the management,” Maduka told online publication kickoff.com.
The win took Royal to fourth position on the table with two wins and two defeats from four matches.
They started the season with a 1-0 loss to old timers Moroka Swallows before going down 2-1 to Cape Town City in their second match.
The two losses compelled Royal owners to give Maduka a one-match ultimatum but he responded immediately with a 1-0 victory over Chippa United on September 12.
Royal’s next league match is a home tie against TS Galaxy at Chatsworth Stadium in Durban on Sunday.
