adminVeronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
HERENTALS Queens seek to start their title defence campaign on a high when they take on new kids Platinum Royals in their 2023 season opener which is scheduled for Mandava Stadium this Saturday.
This comes after last season the ”School Girls”, who are the women’s football version of Castle Lager Premiership side Herentals, won their first ever league title to dislodge perennial champions Black Rhinos Queens.
What will make the Saturday encounter fascinating is the hype that has been generated around the debutantes who were promoted from ZIFA Division One.
Apart from that, they are also ”highly ranked” based on their male counterparts, FC Platinum perennial dominance in the PSL championship race in the past four seasons.
Adding to that, the ”School Girls” feel that they have so much to prove due to that fact that the mining side are coached by Mighty Warriors gaffer Sithethelelwe ”Kwinji 15” Sibanda.
Herentals Queens’ captain Tabeth Mutinhiri is fully aware of the threat posed by the miners on Saturday.
“We are aware of the mammoth task that lies ahead but we do not want to subdue ourselves under any pressure,” she said.
“We are going there to pick up from where we left last season, the girls have a rare fighting spirit and it led us to our first ever title last season so we are starting off this season with the same momentum we had last season.”
Mutinhiri said kick-starting their season with an away game means that they (Herentals) need to prepare themselves mentally.
This, she notes, means they will not read much into their (Platinum Royals) background when they face them on Saturday.
“The fact that we are starting with an away game at Mandava means we should not leave any room for complacency,” added Mutinhiri.
“The new kids will want to please their fans at home so we should not let numbers intimidate us.
“Further, obviously from where they are coming from, they also want to introduce themselves to the top-flight with a statement.”
Herentals Queens have made it clear that their target is to retain the title this season hence they will be fighting for that from the onset.
Their ultimate goal, said Mutinhiri, is to play at CAF level.
“We have so much at stake and the fact that we do not have any new signings and that makes the task easier because we have some unfinished business from last season which everyone is aware of,” she said.
“Our preparations have been going on well, we have no injuries and are in a buoyant mood at the moment so we are ready.
“It will all go down to how we apply ourselves on the day, we stand a good chance though because as a team, we have been showing that we have the quality.
“From a distance, we have also noted that Platinum Royals are a good side and they sure will come strongly on us, we are expecting a tough outing and also how we start our season is very important so, let the games begin.”
Online Reporter