daniel chigunwe
Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS coach Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu believes his team can build from the momentum they have picked in the last five matches in the Castle Lager Premiership football championship race.
The Bulawayo giants have gone five games unbeaten, having last lost in their derby against Bulawayo City in February.
Bosso have won twice and drawn thrice in a five-match run in which they have conceded just once in a 1-1 draw against CAPS United and scored eight goals.
The former champions, chasing for their first league title since 2006, were unlucky not to collect the maximum points at Triangle on Sunday in a game that ended in a goalless draw. But Mpofu expressed satisfaction given Gibbo is a difficult pitch to emerge with a full set of points.
“Firstly, as much as we are happy with the point we picked in Triangle, if one looks at how the match was unpacking, well we dominated in everything and I must say we lost two points there,” said Mpofu
“We were in charge of the game but, then we missed all our opportunities, good ones too especially in the first half. Nevertheless, I am happy with the way we defended. It is not easy to go to Triangle and manage to shut them out. That means defensively, we are doing very well. It is work in progress and we are starting to show structure and shape.
“I am very happy with the performance levels of my team.”
The gaffer, who was one of the Warriors’ assistants to Norman Mapeza at the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January this year, said his team is starting to gel and it is a good sign going forward.
“We are starting to gel as a team. If you can see we went there without Pritchard Mbelele and Andrew Mbeba who are injured but the guys who replaced them (Chrispen Ncube and Mbongeni Ndlovu) did exceptionally well.
“That means any players are now geared and we are now a team. The train is moving, really we are moving and we are happy.
“I think we have done very well in the last five games; we have gone unbeaten in those five outings. In those five matches, we have conceded just one goal and scored eight.”
Mpofu said he will be taking each game as it comes but the aim is to close the gap between his team and the leading pack before the marathon reaches the half-way point.
Bosso are ninth on the log with 13 points to their name, 10 behind leaders Chicken Inn after 10 rounds of fixtures.
“I think we are in a very good momentum. If we are consistent, we can easily catch up with the leading pack and it is our wish to try and close the gap between us and the leading teams before we play half of the games this season.
“At the end of the day this is a marathon but we need to pick up as soon as now so that we can as well cut the gap. We need to keep the gap in check and we cannot afford to continue dropping points,” Mpofu said.
Online Reporter