Race still on: Mhandire

Innocent Kurira

ARENEL FC coach Kudzai Mhandire has led his side to an impressive 18-game unbeaten run in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League but says the run is not an indication that they will win the league.

Arenel sit in pole position with 46 points from 18 matches. They have won 14 and drawn four times. Second-placed ZPC Hwange who have played as many games have accumulated 41 points while third-placed Talen Vision has gained 40.

The league is on a break and for coach Mhandire, the work continues.

“Combined team effort is the tonic to the unbeaten run. Tactical and positional discipline are key elements. The never die spirit in the boys is unbelievable and the zeal to achieve set goals is there you can see they are always willing to go that extra mile. The position on the log is a reflection of the above-mentioned aspects with consistency being an added factor to the accumulated points thus far,” said Mhandire.

He says his side’s ability to keep clean sheets has been a huge positive. They have only conceded twice this season while scoring 31.

“In football the more you don’t get scored, the more chances you have of picking a point or maximum. We hope to keep the momentum and consistency. It’s still a long way to talk about the championship we are taking each game as it comes. Most teams are based in Bulawayo which means we are playing derbies week in and week out and that is not an easy thing. It’s going to be character and resolve that will see us through the home stretch,” said Mhandire.

Arenel finished third last season, behind league winners Hwange and ZPC Hwange. They also managed to book a place in the final of the Wafa Wafa knockout competition which they lost on penalties to Hwange.

The side won the provincial Independence Day Cup in April after beating Indlovu Iyanyathela.

-@innocentskizoe