Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda, Zimpapers Sports Hub
JUST a few weeks ago, Lloyd Mutasa’s job at MWOS looked shaky. His team had gone seven games without a win, their bright start in the Premier Soccer League quickly fading into frustration.
Their first defeat at Ngoni against FC Platinum seemed to drain the life out of a side that had burst onto the top-flight scene with energy and confidence. For weeks, they looked lost.
But four straight victories have reignited their campaign, dragging the Punters back into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title race. MWOS now sit on 55 points, just four behind new log leaders Scottland, with four rounds to go.
The two sides will collide in a potentially decisive showdown at Rufaro after the international break, a fixture that could define the 2025 season.
Mutasa is welcoming the timing of the break.
“I think we experienced a slump in form but that happens in football. At some point or the other you cannot keep the momentum from the onset up to the death. But the good part is we finally got into the groove at the right time when we were closing in, getting to the finishing line,” he said.
MWOS have beaten Chicken Inn, TelOne, Kwekwe United and Greenfuel in their last four matches, with central midfielder Abubakar Moffat pulling the strings and players like Nigel Matinha and Arthur Banda regaining their spark.
“This can only motivate us as a team to finish well. We just want to finish well and see how finishing well will take us too. I think I said it before, from the position that we are, we are no longer looking at the top eight, but the top four,” Mutasa said.
“We want to fight to the end and be part of the top four. And like any other coach, you would want to try and win as many matches as you can. In football they always say you are just as good as the last game, and you cannot look back and be happy with what you did at the back, forgetting now and the future.”
After facing Scottland, MWOS still have tough fixtures against CAPS United, Ngezi Platinum Stars and Triangle United.
“We need to be in good form ahead of those last games. The other good part is some of the guys who haven’t been playing much have picked up form in recent weeks. We were also pegged back by injuries to some key players,” Mutasa added.
First-choice goalkeeper Martin Mapisa, has struggled for consistency, but Mutasa is encouraged by the depth returning to his squad.
“But now, the majority of the guys are up there and those positions that we thought we didn’t have depth, we are now looking good. We now have a selection headache. The players are all eager to go and we are now on the same wavelength. We have two weeks to prepare for the match against Scottland but it’s like any other match,” he said.
The rivalry between MWOS and Scottland, born in last season’s Northern Region Soccer League race, has followed both clubs into the top flight, and now, it could shape the destiny of the championship itself.
