admin
Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
THE last time Ngezi Platinum Stars were at Bata stadium, they stuttered to a goalless draw against debutants Sheasham.
They never looked threatening as they struggled to play on a bumpy pitch although they felt hard done b y a refereeing decision late on when their goal was ruled out for offside.
Ngezi who are in second place on the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League standings troop back to the same arena to face a different opponent in CAPS United.
The miners whose major mission this season to gun for the championship title, will approach tomorrow’s game with a changed mindset. They know they can significantly cut the gap between them and leaders Highlanders if they post a win against Makepekepe tomorrow.
Bosso have a five-point advantage over Ngezi but the Bulawayo giants, unbeaten so far this season, are only back in league in action on Sunday when they face basement side Black Rhinos at Barbourfields.
Goalkeeper Nelson Chadya, a vital cog in the Ngezi ensemble, says beating CAPS United is paramount to their title push.
“In every way, we have to arrive at the party.
“This is a marathon and this is an important lap that we should take concerning our ambitions,” said Chadya. “CAPS United are a very good team and they are one of the teams who always make our life difficult.
“We need to up our game to stand a chance of getting a good result against CAPS United.
“We have played at Bata Stadium once this season against Sheasham and we struggled a lot. But this time around, we should do well.”
Chadya confirmed the title ambitions that have characterised the miners’ dressing room.
“As a team we know we have our ambitions and we should stick to our game plan. Each and every individual in our team knows their responsibilities. Everyone is raring to go”.
Chadya has been the leading light in this young Ngezi outfit although he has hardly kept clean sheets. He has confidence in the squad they have. “Highlanders are playing really good football. They are on top of the log not by chance.
“For us to keep up with them, we should be at our very best. “I believe we need to look at ourselves brutally. We have to throw everything in our games and see what happens. “But the secret is to take each game as it comes. For now, our focus is on the match against CAPS United. “Everyone is raring to go and we have to be at our best”.
Although Ngezi outplayed Makepekepe in all but one aspect of the game in their first match of the season, which ended goalless at Baobab, CAPS United will be out to continue with their resurgence.
Defender Innocent Zambezi believes CAPS United can compete against any team in the league and feels Ngezi are no exception.
“Of course, Ngezi are riding high and they are one of the favourites to win the league title.
“But that will only exert more pressure on them meaning we will play without much pressure,” Zambezi said.
“We are a team that can spring up and beat any opponent on our day.
“We are a very big team and we should live up to the status.
“We have very good players in our ranks.
“We have to go out there with a positive mentality. We have a very good chance of beating Ngezi and make our supporters happy”.
The CAPS United against Ngezi game is one of twopotentially explosive encoiunters that will be served to the Midlands football family with Sheasam seeking to exact revenge on Dynamos for the 4-0 mauling the got on their visit to DeMbare at the National Sports Stadium.
With CAPS United and Black Rhinos also using Bata as their temporary home, the Gweru fans in particular have not been short of Premiership entertainment every weekend.
Fixtures:
Tomorrow: Bulawayo Chiefs v ZPC Kariba (Luveve)
CAPS United v Ngezi Platinum (Bata)
Simba Bhora v Chicken Inn (Baobab)
Herentals v GreenFuel (Mandava)
Sunday: Highlanders v Black Rhinos (Barbourfields)
Triangle v Manica Diamonds (Gibbo)
Sheasham v Dynamos (Bata)
Hwange v Yadah (Colliery)
Online Reporter