Bennett Chenene and Katlego Mashego’s braces were the backbone of Moroka Swallows’ 4-1 win over Golden Arrows in their Absa Premiership match at the Dobsonville Stadium on Wednesday night.

The win for the Dube Birds now sees them enter the top eight as they are now the current occupants of seventh position on the log.

Musa Bilankulu got the consolation goal for Abafana Bes’thende in the dying minutes of the match.

Swallows took the lead in the 12th minute through some good wing work from veteran forward Siyabonga Nomvethe on the left flank as he supplied a cross into the box for Chenene to head home from close range, 1-0.

In the 24th minute Masonwabe Bovu gave Swallows goalkeeper Greg Etafia a working out when he cracked a low shot from long range, but the Nigerian shot stopper did well to get down and block the shot.

Swallows could have got a cushion goal in the 38th minute when Luvhengo Mungomeni sent in a good cross from the right flank and Nomvethe was on the receiving end of it in the box but he agonisingly directed his header wide.

Four minutes from the interval, Chenene got not only the second goal for the Birds but his brace too.

The speedy winger connected with Lefa Tsutsuluap’s through ball straight from the middle. He fended off Arrows defender Thanduyise Khuboni before calmly slotting beyond the keeper, 2-0.

The men from KZN had numerous moments in the first third of the second half to at least pull a goal back, but their attackers did not have the necessary ruthlessness to break down the home side.

Swallows would then make it 3-0 in the 67th minute. Arrows were opened up by a counter-attack when Mashego broke out from his own half and was one-on-one with the Arrows keeper who got a touch to his close range shot as it fizzled into the net, 3-0.

Bilankulu got the consolation goal for Arrows when he scored from close range in the 89th minute, 3-1, but three minutes later Mashego also completed his brace when he finished off a counter attack and blasted the ball into the back of the net, 4-1

Moroka Swallows (2) 4 (Chenene 12’+ 41’, Mashego 67’+ 93’)

Swallows: Etafia, Mungomeni, Isaacs, Da Costa, Lekgothoane, Nergadze, Tsutsulupa, Chenene (Mathebula 76’), Mabalane (Chabangu 54’), Mashego, Nomvethe (Obada 85’)

Arrows: Goss; Sikhakhane, Musonda, Bilankulu, Madonsela; Khuboni, Shange, Bovu, Hadebe (Tom 70’), Ntuli (Smith 53’); Gabuza (Nguzana 46’)