Online Reporter
Lawrence Moyo
WHILE some are touting them as title contenders, MWOS coach Lloyd “Samaita” Mutasa wants to reach the 40-point mark early and ensure survival in the 2025 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.
For him Premiership survival is the priority despite taking an early lead in the campaign with 17 points from seven unbeaten matches.
MWOS have a 100 percent record at home, accounting for Highlanders (1-0), Yadah (2-0), ZPC Kariba (1-0) and Dynamos (1-0) with the opening three matches played at the Baobab Stadium in Ngezi.
To win the title, MWOS might need massive reinforcement as they currently use a squad assembled for another dance in Division One with ONLY four signings made after securing the ZPC Hwange Premiership ticket.
The Norton based Premiership newcomers extended their unbeaten run at Ngoni Stadium with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Dynamos on Easter Monday to move to 17 points from the opening seven matches.
MWOS are three points above defending champions, Simba Bhora and 13 more than bottom placed Triangle and CAPS United.
The 2024 Northern Region Soccer League runners-up are one of only two unbeaten teams in the Premiership together with FC Platinum, who have however dropped 12 points from their six draws in seven matches.
Mutasa says the good start will help them avoid relegation early in the season although ambition might change if they manage to get Premiership signings during the mid-season transfer window.
“We have started well but we are prioritising survival at this moment, and I believe we should be okay once we reach the 40-point mark. I have observed the past seasons and realised that 40 points is enough to survive relegation. At this stage we are still 23 points behind that target and, thus, we need seven wins and two draws to be safe for the season.
“As for the title, I don’t think we have enough depth to compete. Barring four last minute signings, the squad we have was assembled for Division One football and we only got four players -two goalkeepers and two defenders after getting the PSL franchise.
“So, we would want to bolster the squad if possible and that might be too late in terms of competing for the title this season. We are content with survival and then see how it goes from there,” said Mutasa.
Looking at the win against Dynamos on Monday, Mutasa felt that the home crowd that packed Ngoni Stadium had a bigger say in the outcome.
He also singled out the Dynamos wingbacks for special mention as they kept his charges busy and even forced him to change formation to try and contain Emmanuel Jalai and Abel Gwatidzo.
“The 12th man helped us big time and we are grateful to the MWOS supporters who came in full force. We have a good record at Ngoni Stadium and the last time we lost a match was against Black Mambas in 2023 and its now almost two years since our defeat.
“On the field I think we dominated in midfield for much of the game and the midfielders helped out in defence and also made forays upfront. Otherwise, the game was tough, we really battled for the win.
“Their wingbacks, especially Jalai, created some anxious moments in our half and the two wingbacks made runs that forced us to change our formation from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 to at least have our wingers create pressure for the wingbacks.”
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