Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango-Zimpapers Sports Hub
WILLARD Katsande has played down talk of a championship challenge after FC Oden stormed into the MCM Estates Northern Region Soccer League top four following a 1-0 victory over Ngezi Stars Under-19 on Sunday.
The Matchday 29 victory moved FC Oden to 46 points, two ahead of Ngezi Stars Under-19 and ten behind leaders Black Rhinos.
Katsande believes his charges must remain grounded and concentrate on maintaining their progress during the closing stages of the campaign. “We just need to focus on ourselves, take it one game at a time and continue improving the team,” he said.
“Like I said before, you can see that the team is improving day by day and I am very happy with the performance.
“The fixtures have been congested but the boys have never complained. They have kept working and we keep moving forward.”
FC Oden have recorded 12 wins, 10 draws and seven defeats in 29 matches, scoring 24 goals and conceding 18. “I know people are talking about the championship race but I don’t want to look too much into that.
“We just need to focus on one game at a time.
“If you become too ambitious and start looking too far ahead, you can easily forget about the job at hand. “We are enjoying the journey and taking it one game at a time.”
Katsande was particularly pleased with the manner in which his charges collected maximum points away from home against a Ngezi side that has scored 37 goals this season.
“We are enjoying this victory away from home against a good, solid and well-coached team,” he said.
“We knew it was going to be difficult because they score a lot of goals, especially when they are playing at home.
“Like I said, we want to challenge the big boys from Harare. The only way to challenge them is by producing performances like this away from home and grinding out results.
“The guys deserve all the credit because they are working extremely hard. We have kept another clean sheet and that shows the work they are putting in.” Katsande added:
“We are here to send a statement that we can compete at this level. We have that mentality and we just need to keep building from here.
“There are always going to be mistakes in football but the most important thing is to look at the bigger picture and the growth of the team.
“The team is growing very well. You can see the camaraderie and the team spirit. We are one happy family.”
Elsewhere, CP Chemicals strengthened their top-eight prospects with a 2-0 victory over Cranborne Bullets, moving into seventh place with 43 points. G&T Mine were held to a goalless draw by High Range and remained sixth with 44 points, while MWOS Under-19 thrashed Rangers 4-0.
Black Rhinos lead the standings with 56 points, four ahead of Harare City, while Chingwere occupy third position on 48 points.
Katsande expects the battle for points to become tougher as teams pursue contrasting objectives during the run-in.
“There are teams playing for the championship, others are fighting for the top eight and some are fighting for survival. That makes every game difficult,” he said.
