admin
Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
NGEZI Platinum Stars coach Takesure Chiragwi says his team is starting to reap the rewards of having a vibrant junior policy.
The Mhondoro side is playing some of the most impressive football this season, even in some of the matches where they failed to win.
They are currently topping the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table with 17 points from nine games.
They are one of the only two clubs in the top-flight who are yet to taste defeat this season together with Bulawayo giants Highlanders.
When condemning champions FC Platinum to their third defeat this term with a well-deserved 2-0 win at Baobab last Sunday, Ngezi Platinum Stars became the first local team to beat the Zvishavane side by a two-goal margin since Triangle achieved the feat in August 2019.
The solid start by the Mhondoro miners has been anchored mainly on the youngsters who were recently promoted into the senior team from the club’s developmental side, Ngezi Platinum Under-19, who compete in the ZIFA Northern Region Division One Soccer League.
Midfielder Leslie Kashitigu, Takunda Benhura, Elson Mweha, Walter Vuwa and Tinotenda Murasiranwa have been carrying the team with distinction despite their young age.
The quintet has been regular in Chiragwi’s side which seem to be having all the ingredients to fight for the championship.
Chiragwi has fused the young blood with a crop of tried and tested breed that include razor-sharp goalkeeper Nelson Chadya, captain Qadr Amini, Kudzai Chigwida, Polite Moyo, Marvellous Mukumba and Gareth Madhake.
And the effect has been devastating for opponents, with the miners top-scoring in the league, having pumped in 15 goals in nine games.
“I think the youngsters have done wonderfully well this season. You look at the stats and they are up there.
“I think our strike-force this season has been dominated by these youngsters from our development squad. You look at Takunda (Benhura), Tinotenda (Murasiranwa) and Walter Vuwa, these are the guys leading our attack often. Mweha (Elson) has also done very well,” said Chiragwi.
“The idea is to fuse youth and experience. I am very happy everything is going according to our projections so far this season.
“Sometimes we have to rotate to achieve even better results. We don’t have to overwork the same players, especially the youngsters.
“But, I am very impressed with how these boys have gelled in the system so far. We are a team that has trust in these young players and we are very happy having them around.
“I think they are also inspiring those still in the development side to work even harder as they know they will get an opportunity to showcase themselves once promoted.”
Chiragwi is also excited with how Kashitigu has mastered his role as a central midfielder where he is often twinned with Mukumba.
Kashitigu has established himself as a key cog in Chiragwi’s team.
With veterans like Marlon Mushonga and Carlos Mavhurume also in the fold, Kashitigu has stood firm and it is his combination with Mukumba in the middle of the field that has engineered the most goals for the miners.
“Leslie has energy and speed.
“We always need someone who can close the gaps either left side or right side when we are chasing the ball and Kashitigu has that energy and awareness,” said Chiragwi.
“When Marvellous (Mukumba) gets the ball, he has to disengage from the defensive mode into attack. So I think in terms of understanding in the midfield, the two are doing very well.
“I think these guys have been doing very well since we started the season. The combination is fantastic.
“I think, for us, what’s important is to keep on doing well, keep on getting the results.
“What is important is consistency because there are so many games that we need to play”.
Online Reporter