Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THEY have been mocked as a club which plays a man short but Herentals are silencing their army of critics.
The Students are enjoying their best run since they arrived in the Castle Lager Premiership eight years ago.
And, their 54-year-old forward, Innocent Benza, who has borne the brunt of the criticism, says he is using that to fuel himself up to ensure his team competes very well.
The Students beat FC Platinum 1-0 at Mandava on Sunday.
It was their third win on the trot and it was their NINTH game, without a loss, in the championship race.
Their last defeat came at the hands of Ngezi Platinum Stars in a 0-1 loss on April 7.
By the time they run onto the field in their next game against champions Scottland, the Students would have completed exactly TWO months, without defeat.
During that run, they have won SIX and drawn THREE.
To put their impressive run into proper context, Herentals play the opponent CAPS United would have played.
While the Green Machine failed to beat MWOS, Simba Bhora and FC Platinum, the Students have beaten all these three teams.
When one considers that Makepekepe failed to beat both FC Platinum and MWOS at Rufaro, and Herentals beat these two clubs in their backyards, the impressive run by the Students gets its proper picture.
The Students became the first team to beat FC Platinum at their home this season.
The four-time champions had last lost a match at Mandava on October 18 last year; a 0-1 defeat to Midlands rivals TelOne.
At 54, Benza is the oldest player in a top-flight league across the world and is a frequent target for critics in this country.
“I am not a saint but I am someone who is driven by passion for the game,” said Benza.
“I hear a lot of criticism about my being part of the team. I have now become used to all that. In fact, I am using that as a source of motivation.
“I am really happy that I am being able to contribute positively for the good of the team.
“The match against FC Platinum was very tough. This is a team that is very hard to face, especially at their turf.”
He added:
“And to be able to be the one to provide that assist is something I take pride in.
“I would like to thank our coach Paul Benza and the entire team, including my teammates and the fans, for always rallying behind me. They are my major source of strength.
“This is now my third assist this season. I hope I will also get to score goals of my own. But that’s never the priority as what matters most is the team.
“I ask myself hard questions every day. What have I done to contribute to the team?”
Herentals have been slowly ticking the right boxes after going for the last nine games without losing a match and catching up with the leading pack in the league.
Yet their coach, Paul Benza, has remained humble and modest.
“The aim is to do better than we did last year, nothing much,” he said.
“We are a team that plays as a unit. That’s our strength.
“Any player chosen to do duty for the squad can fit in because the philosophy is the same.
“It’s too early to say this is the target or what but from the first day, we always said doing better than we did last year was the target.”
What’s even unique about Herentals is their ability to match all the expensively-assembled teams after spending almost nothing during the off-season transfer market.
The Students signed just three players Wayne Makuva, Miguel Feldman and Tanaka Chinyahara, who were both free agents.
They promoted five players from their juniors’ teams dotted across the country, including from Herentals Mutasa and Herentals Victoria Falls.
