Blanket Mine set sights on a promotion push

Onward Gangata

BLANKET MINE say they are ready for the 2026 season which is set to commence next weekend. Excitement is brewing within the club as the countdown shortens, and there is an unmistakable sense that something new and promising is stirring within the mining outfit.

After a quiet period of introspection and restructuring, Blanket Mine are stepping forward with renewed purpose, eager to show that they are no longer content with merely participating — they want to compete.

Now under the guidance of former Lancashire Steel and Kaizer Chiefs striker, Luke Petros, the mining side have gone through a structural rebuild. Petros, whose reputation as a hard working forward has long since carried over into his coaching career, has wasted no time shaping the team into something more organised, more ambitious and, perhaps most importantly, more confident. They have added seasoned players to their squad hoping to make this season a title challenging campaign. The arrivals have brought maturity and grit, the kind of reinforcements that signal serious intent.

Former Hardbody, Whawha and Sheasham defender, Roy Useni, is reported to be part of the furniture at the Gwanda side.

His presence alone strengthens the spine of the team. Lively winger, Donnington Muparo, is also part of the cast at Blanket Mine together with Tirivangani Muchapuya. Their inclusion gives the side a blend of experience, speed and unpredictability — vital ingredients for a team with its eyes on the top.

For supporters who watched Blanket Mine struggle in past campaigns, this injection of proven talent is a breath of fresh air and a reason to believe that this season may unfold differently.

Ahead of their opening match against Chapungu at Ascot Stadium, Petros expressed satisfaction in his side’s preparedness.

“We have really had a good preseason which we hope has laid a good foundation for our season,” said the former Warriors forward.

Those words come from a man who has seen enough football to recognise when his squad has gelled, when the energy is right, when the players are beginning to trust the system.

“This is a new team and we have worked so hard to make sure we can be very competitive this season.” There is something honest and grounded in the way he says it — proud, but never boastful.

Petros is a seasoned coach in the CRSL, having won promotion with Whawha in 2014 and 2019. Few coaches in the league understand the grind of the division better than he does. Last season he was at Sheasham as an assistant coach to Prince Matore, however after the team decided not to participate in the league this season, the experienced gaffer moved on to new challenges. For him, stepping into the Blanket Mine project is far from a retreat — it is another chapter, another mountain to climb.

He said his decision to join Blanket Mine when he could have easily chosen the comfort of staying closer to his base in Kwekwe.

“Coming to Blanket Mine was all about having a new challenge in a new environment, I feel that it brings out the best in me. I’m one coach who has always loved the underdog story because it allows you to do your work well without much spotlight,” he revealed.

That philosophy — the romance of the underdog, the quiet satisfaction of surprising people — is perhaps exactly what Blanket Mine need.

A coach who sees possibility where others see limitation.

Despite Blanket Mine showing intent, Kwekwe United, Gwanda Pirates and Chapungu remain the favourites to win promotion. But football is rarely obedient to predictions. It bends, twists and often rewards the brave.

Blanket Mine may not be the loudest team in the room, but there is a growing feeling that this season they may no longer be the team people overlook.

Under Petros, with fresh legs, seasoned defenders and a renewed spirit, they enter the campaign with something priceless — belief.

Week One Fixtures
Kwekwe United v MSU, Chapungu v Blanket Mine, West Nicholson v Grain Tigers, Dulibadzimu v Shurugwi FC, Shabani v Super Strikers, Tongogara v Vhembe, Sabi v ZRP GWANDA, Good Morning v Matobo FC