Royal AM coach John Maduka has revealed why he opted to return to the KZN-based DStv Premiership outfit.
Maduka said he missed being at the club after he was brought back by club boss Shauwn Mkhize on Thursday despite leaving them to join Maritzburg United ahead of the season.
At the Team of Choice, Maduka didn’t last long, leaving them in November and was since replaced by Fadlu Davids.
He had won just two matches – against Chippa United and Orlando Pirates respectively, but didn’t help his cause after the club had dropped to the bottom spot.
Maduka returned to his former club on Thursday, having coached them to finish in third place to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup last term, and exclusively spoke to iDiski Times about his comeback.
“I’m very happy to be back, especially to be part of the Royal AM family and I really missed them,’’ Maduka told this publication.
“When you do something good, you always miss the relationship that you have created with so many people.
“But you know today I’m very happy that I’m going back and again a special thanks to MaMkhize for making this happen that I’m back in the club.”
Last term Maduka’s side were hard to break down, losing only two matches at home, which saw him become the club’s first coach to win a Coach of the Month award, while Mxolisi Macuphu became the first Royal AM player to be named Player of the Month award. The club also won their first Q innovation quarter under Maduka’s reign.
Impressively, all these successes Maduka brought to Royal AM happened after MaMkhize had purchased the status of Bloemfontein Celtic just four days before the last season started.
They lost the two opening games, but once they found their footing, they were breath of fresh air in the league.
However, Maduka is coming back to the club that is struggling at the moment, lying 12th on the DStv Premiership table with 21 points after 18 matches. They have failed to win their last three matches, and face Golden Arrows at Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday (15:30).
Royal AM have also shipped in more goals (26) than they have scored (17), but the former Bloemfontein Celtic coach says it’s an advantage that he is not coming to a new environment.
“I feel the team has been unlucky somewhere somehow,” revealed Maduka.
“They have not gotten the results that they needed, but I have seen that we needed. But I think the way the league is, it is very important to be consistent – it is very important not to win one game and not relax, we have to win as many games as we can.”
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
