Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira [email protected]
For a club like Highlanders, every result carries weight. So when the draws kept coming, week after week, frustration grew. Supporters watched a team that often came close but did not quite finish the job. Wins were few, and the label “draw specialists” quickly followed, not as a compliment, but as a sign of missed chances.
But football seasons rarely move in a straight line.
As the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League reaches a crucial stage, the picture around Bosso is beginning to change.
The same team that looked stuck is now only six points behind the leaders — a position that forces people to look again at what those early results really meant.
Highlanders sit in seventh place after 15 matches, with 10 draws, four wins and just one loss. It is a record that can be read in two ways — either as points dropped or as a sign of resilience.
For coach Benjani Mwaruwari, the story has not been as negative as many have suggested.
“I don’t want to read more into the fact that we are six points off the top. This thing of draws, I think, has helped us. The problem is the draws were consecutive in most cases.
“But if you look at it, Scottland have seven draws, two or three shy of us. You look at CAPS United, I think they have four draws. We were not losing that is a good thing,” he said.
His view is simple. While others saw a team failing to win, he saw a team that refused to lose.
That difference matters. In a long season, not losing can keep a side in the race, even when wins are slow to come. It keeps confidence alive and gives something to build on.
Now, that approach seems to be paying off. In their last five matches, Highlanders have collected 11 points from a possible 15.
Three wins and two draws have lifted both results and belief. The team is no longer just holding on — it is beginning to move forward.
More importantly, the performances have improved. The defence looks more organised, mistakes have reduced, and the team appears more in control of matches rather than reacting to them.
For Benjani, this is the progress he has been waiting to see.
“If we can pick some wins, I think we will be in contention for the league,” he said.
It is not a bold claim. Instead, it sounds like a coach who understands how quickly things can change in football — and who is careful not to get carried away. That caution has been there from the start of the season.
Highlanders did not begin the campaign as title favourites. After a period of instability, the main focus was to steady the team and avoid another difficult fight at the bottom of the table.
That goal has not changed.
“The most important thing, which was our target, is we don’t want to fight relegation. My target is to get to 40 points as quickly as possible,” said Benjani.
This careful balance defines where Highlanders are right now.
On one hand, they are improving — slowly finding rhythm, gaining confidence and climbing closer to the top. On the other, they remain grounded, focused on stability rather than making big promises.
What makes their situation interesting is how quickly opinions can shift.
Not long ago, the draws were seen as a weakness, proof that the team could not finish games.
Now, with the table tightening and results improving, those same draws can be seen differently — as results that kept Highlanders within reach when things were not fully clicking.
In football, perspective often changes with time.
For Highlanders, what once looked like a problem may yet turn out to be the foundation of something stronger.
Week 16 PSL Fixtures
Today: Agama FC vs Chicken Inn (Wadzanayi Stadium), Ngezi Platinum Stars vs MWOS FC (Baobab Stadium), TelOne FC vs Highlanders (Ascot Stadium), Herentals College vs Scotland FC (Rufaro Stadium)
Sunday: CAPS United vs ZPC Kariba ( Rufaro Stadium), Triangle United vs FC Platinum (Gibbo Stadium), Manica Diamonds vs Dynamos (Sakubva Stadium), Hardrock vs Simba Bhora (Chahwanda Stadium)
