AMAZULU defender Carlington Nyadombo, who slotted the penalty that gave his team a shock 2-1 win over Manchester City last week, said the club's strikers needed to be on fire this season to avoid the struggles of last year.
Last year, Usuthu put on an admirable display when they hosted City's bitter rivals Manchester United in a 1-0 defeat but got lashed 6-0 by Kaizer Chiefs on the opening day of the season.
They would only fully recover from that hammering well into the second half of the season, when they clawed their way out of the relegation zone with a few matches to spare. But they finished as the league's poorest scorers, with just 22 goals in 30 league games.
The strikers contributed just nine goals to that tally.
They struggled for wins, even after they had mended their rickety defence with five clean sheets in six matches in February.
"We need our strikers to be perfect and clinical in front of goal this season because we get chances in each game but we don't score most of them," Nyadombo said.
"We want to start the season with a performance like the one against City - we won't go wrong if we keep that up.
"We are also excited to have S'thembiso Ngcobo on board but we have to make sure that he is up there fitness-wise and right now he's not fully match fit yet"
Ngcobo joined Usuthu on a year-long loan deal from Chiefs two weeks ago but looked a little out of sorts when he came on in the second half of the match against City, like a commuter who had just boarded the wrong train.
It took Bongani Ndulula almost four months to settle in Durban after moving from Orlando Pirates during last season's January transfer window. He was unfit, out of shape and was a yard behind the pace of the game, having spent months on the sidelines at the Buccaneers.
Similar problems confront Ngcobo. Although his name was often on the Chiefs team sheet, it was usually among the substitutes and he would be brought on when the match was either sewn up or as the coach's last throw of the dice.
But a chance to put himself back among South Africa's top marksmen has presented itself, which will also benefit AmaZulu, who are tired of living life under the shadow of the relegation hangman's noose.
It is unclear how Ngcobo and Ndulula will be accommodated up front - both being traditional target men - but coach Craig Rosslee will appreciate the options available to him.
The calmness Nyadombo showed when he scored the match-winning penalty against City in the 88th minute is a virtue Usuthu will also benefit from.
Can Usuthu strike gold this season?
AMAZULU defender Carlington Nyadombo, who slotted the penalty that gave his team a shock 2-1 win over Manchester City last week, said the club's strikers needed to be on fire this season to avoid the struggles of last year.
Last year, Usuthu put on an admirable display when they hosted City's bitter rivals Manchester United in a 1-0 defeat but got lashed 6-0 by Kaizer Chiefs on the opening day of the season.
They would only fully recover from that hammering well into the second half of the season, when they clawed their way out of the relegation zone with a few matches to spare. But they finished as the league's poorest scorers, with just 22 goals in 30 league games.
The strikers contributed just nine goals to that tally.
They struggled for wins, even after they had mended their rickety defence with five clean sheets in six matches in February.
"We need our strikers to be perfect and clinical in front of goal this season because we get chances in each game but we don't score most of them," Nyadombo said.
"We want to start the season with a performance like the one against City - we won't go wrong if we keep that up.
"We are also excited to have S'thembiso Ngcobo on board but we have to make sure that he is up there fitness-wise and right now he's not fully match fit yet"
Ngcobo joined Usuthu on a year-long loan deal from Chiefs two weeks ago but looked a little out of sorts when he came on in the second half of the match against City, like a commuter who had just boarded the wrong train.
It took Bongani Ndulula almost four months to settle in Durban after moving from Orlando Pirates during last season's January transfer window. He was unfit, out of shape and was a yard behind the pace of the game, having spent months on the sidelines at the Buccaneers.
Similar problems confront Ngcobo. Although his name was often on the Chiefs team sheet, it was usually among the substitutes and he would be brought on when the match was either sewn up or as the coach's last throw of the dice.
But a chance to put himself back among South Africa's top marksmen has presented itself, which will also benefit AmaZulu, who are tired of living life under the shadow of the relegation hangman's noose.
It is unclear how Ngcobo and Ndulula will be accommodated up front - both being traditional target men - but coach Craig Rosslee will appreciate the options available to him.
The calmness Nyadombo showed when he scored the match-winning penalty against City in the 88th minute is a virtue Usuthu will also benefit from.
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