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Mugove Chigada-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THEY’VE built a reputation on ruthlessness, but FC Platinum have fired blanks where it matters most – in front of goal.
Now, with just two strikes in five matches, Norman Mapeza’s men find themselves staring at their lowest scoring start in their first five games since their top-flight arrival in 2011.
But while the attack misfires, the defence stands tall – second best in their top-flight history at this stage of the season.
For the record, the platinum miners have never failed to reach at least six goals at this stage in any of the 12 seasons.
Six goals scored in 2016 and 2017 after five games stood as the record low until this gloom.
Mapeza says they are fully aware of the situation and need to turn around their goalscoring fortunes.
“The goals are not coming, but we have been talking about it. That’s why you heard me talking about belief, it’s about belief, it’s about confidence. We will get the goals but we will need to be patient,” Mapeza said.
Can they be brutal at Mandava against GreenFuel today, and miraculously deliver the magic five goals to drop the unwanted record?
If they can, it will become the second-highest score by FC Platinum in their first six games while six goals will equal the record win they set against Tenax (6-1), achieved within the first six games during the 2021/22 season.
In summary, that’s why Mapeza’s charges’ recovery will be “a process”.
But such has been FC Platinum’s pedigree that in a season they have had an average 0.4 goals scored per game, they can be relentless as the season progresses.
And they remain one of the bookmakers’ favourites for the league title.
“The tables will turn,” said Mapeza.
Match day six comes with its own benchmarks.
For the record, 2013 was the season FC Platinum had the best scoring season in the first six games of the season with 13 goals, an average 2.2 goals per game.
It was a season they opened with a 2-1 win over Buffaloes, 4-1 win over How Mine, 2-1 win over Black Mambas, 2-1 win over Chicken Inn, 1-0 defeat to Shabanie Mine and 3-0 win over Triangle.
A lot has changed.
“If you look at the statistics, locally, which team has scored 10 goals? We are still on the same page. We are still trying to negotiate our way to get goals.
“ . . . We have been creating chances, and that’s one positive we have not been talking about. It’s a process,” said Mapeza.
To their credit, for the 2025 season, the former champions have managed to shut out most teams and collected four points from four draws, conceding a goal in one of the draws, and edging Manica Diamonds 1-0 in their only win of the season.
Defensively, they are special.
Apart from FC Platinum, only Simba Bhora and MWOS have conceded just a goal.
The 2025 season became their second-best season in terms of goals conceded in the first five games of the season.
Only in 2018 were they better, with no goals conceded after the same number of games.
In that year, they were only breached in their sixth game against Harare City, a 3-1 win for the platinum miners.
If FC Platinum can go on and keep a clean sheet against GreenFuel at Mandava on Saturday, they will equal their record of the lowest goals conceded in the first six games – one goal – since they started playing in the Premiership in 2011.
It was in 2015 that FC Platinum conceded the most goals in their first six games of the season at 10, and the only year they had a negative goal difference of minus two after that number of games.
That also became FC Platinum’s worst start to the season in six games as they only managed four points, three points fewer than this season.
At this stage, it may be fair to say, you can never rule out Mapeza and FC Platinum.
Justification lies in that, in FC Platinum’s best four starts to the season after six games since promotion – in 2018, 2016, 2013 and 2024 – it was only in 2018 that they went on to be crowned champions.
Online Reporter