Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
AMBITIOUS new boys Scottland are desperate to rediscover their home form as they prepare for a potentially tough Castle Lager Premier Soccer League battle against visiting giants Highlanders at Rufaro this Sunday.
The Mabvuku side have not quite exploited home comforts after collecting a paltry four points from a possible 12 in their last four home games.
Their coach Tonderai Ndiraya is keen for a quick turnaround, especially after seeing his team getting thumped by visiting TelOne and CAPS United in their last two assignments at Rufaro.
Ndiraya has drawn renewed hope from the gritty performance he saw when Scottland beat 2023 champions Ngezi Platinum Stars 2-1 at Baobab.
That win also helped Ndiraya’s men end a four-match win-less streak.
“We are going back to play at home and naturally you would want to collect maximum points at home,” he said.
“But I think of late it has been very difficult for us at Rufaro Stadium. We have lost twice at Rufaro to TelOne and lately to CAPS United. So, if we pick a very good home form, I think we can push,” said Ndiraya.
The recent home struggles have dented their championship credentials.
Despite their star-studded outlook, Scottland can only recover lost ground in the title race if they start winning games consistently.
Although they occupy fourth place in the championship marathon, Scottland are still within striking distance.
They trail new log leaders Simba Bhora by nine points.
Simba Bhora, who are sitting atop on 40 points, host fallen giants Dynamos at Wadzanayi this Saturday.
The champions have the same number of points as second-placed debutants MWOS, who have their own tricky home assignment against resurgent four-time champions, FC Platinum. The gap between Scottland and the leading teams could still be slashed to just six points should the PSL Disciplinary Committee deliver judgment in their favour, as largely expected in the case of the abandoned match against Chicken Inn.
Although the race is still open, with 14 rounds of play remaining in the season, Ndiraya conceded that his team are now on the back foot.
“We are so many points behind, and I must be honest, of course we still believe, there is still so much to play for and I think all that is going to be decided by how consistent we are going to be.
“We have to pick up maximum points and hope that the other teams will drop points.
“So, it’s not in our hands at the moment. I think the top two teams are firmly in control. But you never know in football.
“What we wanted to focus on was to focus on taking ourselves out of the phase that we went through (four-match win-less run). Then of course our next focus is to be consistent. We need to be consistent in getting wins.”
While the title is still up for the taking, Ndiraya said the club owner Scott Sakupwanya has given his team a top five target in their debut season.
“I think you have heard our president saying repeatedly that if the championship opportunity comes, we will grab the opportunity with both hands.
“But, at the moment we’re focusing on the top five that our president really set for us. So, we don’t want to talk about the title. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want it if it comes our way.
“Look, we are a young club, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to take it step by step towards our target, that is the top five.
“Then naturally if you are in the top five or top four then you have a big chance of fighting for the title. So, we can’t talk about the title when we are far away.
“But I think Simba Bhora are in there. They are the champions and they are in top form, MWOS have also been doing very well. I don’t know where we are going to be placed after this game. But we will keep pushing towards our target, which is a top five finish,” added Ndiraya.
The new boys have beefed up their squad in the current transfer window luring back home Zimbabwe international Terrence Dzvukamanja, who had stints in South Africa in the last seven years.
They also signed two foreign players, Malawian international forward Khuda Ike Myaba and Namibian midfielder Moses Shidolo, who both made their Castle Lager Premiership debuts against Ngezi last weekend.
Fixtures:
Saturday: CAPS Utd v TelOne (Rufaro), Triangle v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Gibbo), GreenFuel v Bikita Minerals (GreenFuel Arena), Kwekwe Utd v Yadah (Bata), MWOS v FC Platinum (Ngoni), Chicken Inn v ZPC Kariba (Luveve), Manica Diamonds v Herentals (Sakubva), Simba Bhora v Dynamos (Wadzanayi)
Sunday: Scottland v Highlanders (Rufaro)
