Mandla Ncikazi is expected to be thrust immediately into action in his new job as Lamontville Golden Arrows coach when they kick off this season’s Carling Knockout with a home tie in the first round against Chippa United at Umlazi on Saturday (kick off 3pm, live on SuperSport).

Arrows fired Pitso Dladla after 11 games in charge this season, of which they won three (against Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch), and reappointed Ncikazi, who took them to a fourth-place finish in 2021 but then left to coach at Orlando Pirates.

The 57-year-old Ncikazi also began his coaching career as an assistant at Arrows before his first head coach job at Maritzburg United in 2015, which lasted only five games.

He has left his role as assistant to Abdeslam Ouaddou with Pirates’ blessing after five years in Gauteng with the Buccaneers.

Arrows are the seventh club to change coach this season, only three months into the new campaign, following Sekhukhune United (Cedric Kazé replaced by Papi Zothwane),

Marumo Gallants (Phuti Mohafe fired with Trevor Mathiane as caretaker before the arrival of Ronnie Kanalelo), SuperSport United (Godfrey Mosoetsa in charge after Lehlohonolo Seema sacked), Durban City (Eric Tinkler replacing Khaled Ben Youssef), TS Galaxy (Esau Mtsweni in place of Bernard Parker) and Richards Bay, where Siboniso Gumede is caretaker following the departure of Ronnie Gabriel and with Dimitar Pantev awaiting his work permit.