Online Reporter
AFTER a landmark Castle Lager Premiership season, in which the country’s top-flight league showed signs of recovery in terms of spectator interest, Scottland have won the championship race.
It was a season of twists and at one stage it appears MWOS were in prime position to win the league before Lloyd Mutasa and his men hit a bad patch.
Their failure to win matches in Harare turned out to be their Achilles Heel while a 0-1 loss to Scottland at Rufaro ensured there was no chance for them to force their way back into contention.
Simba Bhora also appeared set to defend the crown they won last year but once they failed in the CAF Champions League, the challenges they faced in the trips to Botswana and Eswatini, they were never the same side.
FC Platinum started strongly and were the last team to suffer a defeat during the season but that five-goal destruction, at the hands of Scottland, proved to be the turning point of their season and they never recovered. While all their main rivals faltered, Scottland appeared to find their form when they needed it most and picked points even when they were having an off day.
They picked points away at Highlanders, FC Platinum, ZPC Kariba, Ngezi Platinum, Manica Diamonds, Greenfuel, Triangle, which are traditionally tough teams in their backyards.
Their fighting spirit, away from home, was demonstrated by the way they refused to succumb to defeat against Bosso at Barbourfields when they scored late in the game to secure a priceless point.
A team which beats FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum in their backyard can say they deserve to win the league championship and this is precisely what Scottland did.
They also beat Dynamos and CAPS United before losing to the Harare giants in the reverse fixtures.
Scottland set standards for the domestic Premiership in terms of preparations for matches, the way they camped ahead of their matches, their fitness levels and the way they put a value to the players’ nutrition.
They never wavered when it came to professionalism and while their players took time to click, which was expected because they were coming from different teams, they started to show their class from the moment they gelled.
The signing of Knowledge Musona during the mid-season transfer window was a masterstroke and was the turning point in their quest to win the league championship. The former Warriors skipper brought both experience, leadership and class to the Scotts and they were a different team with him in their fold.
The club’s success means Musona is celebrating a league championship crown for the first time in his career. This is a man who has been our leading player for more than a decade and it’s good to see him celebrating such a grand success story.
Scottland’s success shows that the domestic football landscape is changing and the top three clubs on the table were all not part of the top-flight league three years ago.
Mathew Masinge