The ManicaPost
Moffat Mungazi
Sports Reporter
SEASONED Sakubva-bred goalkeeper, Washington Arubi is excited about his team, Maruma Gallants’ current form in the South African football domestic league and believes they are on track to meet targets and accomplish their goals.
After a sluggish start to the season, the ambitious outfit now have a spring in their step after stringing together impressive results.
In fact, they have been the form team with the best run of results that has seen them avoiding defeat in the last five matches.
So impressive have been Marumo Gallants that they have made a giant leap, climbing up the log standings from second from bottom to 11th on the 16-team table.
The agile shot-stopper has started, starred and kept four clean sheets in six outings whose return was an impressive four wins and two draws.
During that run, they steamrolled past his fellow La Sakubva graduands and former Warriors teammates, Willard Katsande and Onismor Bhasera who turn out for Sekhukhune United and SuperSport United respectively.
That momentum, the ex-Highlanders and Dynamos star reckons, provides the tonic for another triumphant campaign.
“The form we are in right now spurs us and is good for our game. We are enjoying the moment and are not putting ourselves under any pressure. In fact, this challenges us to work even harder because we are dreaming big,” Arubi told Post Sport from his base in South Africa.
He attributed their imperious form to hard work.
Focus and determination, added the 36-year-old, was also key in seeing them rise to the occasion.
As a true reflection of how the team has vastly improved, Arubi’s numbers between the sticks have also been eye-watering.
Last term, he kept only 10 clean sheets in league games and in the current campaign he has already had six shutouts in only 14 matches and is likely to comfortably surpass the previous season’s tally.
He also singled out their recently appointed coach, Dan “Dance” Malesela for special mention as one of the driving forces behind their resurgence.
“Our coach came with renewed impetus and his great philosophy is helping each and every player take their game a gear up. He is making us feel comfortable and has fortified our belief, while pushing us harder to win games,” said Zimbabwe’s 2011 soccer star-of-the-year.
Arubi and his teammates were rooted at the foot of the table for much of last season, before pulling off the great escape feat and the cherry on top of that heroic act was clinching the prestigious Nedbank Cup as Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.
It earned them a ticket to participate in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Competing in their maiden appearance on the continental safari, they also pulled their weight and eliminated perennial campaigners, AS Vita in the second preliminary round before being narrowly edged out by Congolese giants, TP Mazembe in the play-off phase.
The veteran goalminder said their participation in the African safari added another dimension to their game.
He explained: “I think playing in the Confederation Cup games also helped us improve our game as a team. Facing two of the biggest teams in Africa –TP Mazembe and AS Vita – was a challenge we cherished. The experience we picked from those encounters was valuable and will be handy in our games going forward.”
They have since shifted their focus to the local league and are hoping to sustain their fine run, he added.
The fixture pileup over the festive season will see Marumo Gallants play three games in six days between today (Friday) and next week Thursday.
But Arubi, who is one of the team’s vice-captains, says they are not fazed by that and are geared for the challenge.
As Marumo Gallants continue with their upward trajectory, they are targeting to finish in the top half of the table.
