Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda, Zimpapers Sports Hub
SOUTH African coach Thabo Senong believes FC Platinum can rise from their current struggles and reclaim their place among Zimbabwe’s leading football clubs, but insists the Zvishavane giants must remain patient as they rebuild.
Senong arrived at Pure Platinum Play at the end of July to replace Joel Lupahla and, just over 50 days into his tenure, the former Bafana Bafana assistant coach is yet to taste defeat.
More impressively, FC Platinum have also kept a clean sheet in every match played under the South African.
In three Castle Lager Premier Soccer League games, Senong’s charges edged Agama 1-0 at home, held defending champions Scottland to a goalless draw at Rufaro and beat ZPC Kariba 1-0 at Mandava last weekend.
They have also advanced to the quarter-finals of the Zifa Munhumutapa Challenge Cup after beating Southern Region Soccer League outfit Blackrock 2-0.
Despite the promising start, FC Platinum remain 10th on the PSL log, 22 points behind leaders Scottland with only five matches remaining.
The four-time champions are therefore out of the title race and will now have to settle for at least a top-eight finish.
Their only hope of silverware now lies in the Zifa Munhumutapa Cup, the country’s richest knockout competition.
For Senong, however, the bigger challenge is restoring FC Platinum to the heights they enjoyed during their golden era under Norman Mapeza, when they won four league titles between 2017 and 2022.
The Zvishavane side also collected several major trophies during that period, including the Chibuku Super Cup and Castle Challenge Cup.
Senong believes that success can be replicated, although he acknowledges that the local football landscape has changed, with ambitious clubs such as Scottland and Hardrock emerging as major forces, thanks to their financial supremacy.
“It is possible to go back to the glory days, we just have to be mindful that we now have some new powerhouses in the local league,” Senong told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
“You look at the financial appetites of Hardrock and Scottland.
“However, I do have faith in the FC Platinum football model. There is an excellent policy and a good appetite for looking at promoting homegrown youth talents.
“Such a model connects with a vision and beliefs of a coach, and I believe that this model can help us to climb up in the coming two seasons.”
Senong’s immediate focus, though, appears to be on building a competitive side around the resources already available to him.
Veteran midfielder Eric “Cantona” Manokore (34), has emerged as one of the key figures in his plans, with the coach praising the experienced player’s tactical intelligence following last weekend’s victory over ZPC Kariba.
“Look, the positional awareness of Eric is excellent,” Senong said.
“How he protects our box, how he protects our defence, how he makes sure that he’s the link between our defence and our attack.”
Senong has also tailored Manokore’s training programme to preserve the midfielder’s energy and ensure he remains effective on match day.
“Eric has a lot of maturity, you know, and we also prioritise him individually in training,” he said.
“We don’t make him run every day like the other players who are a little bit younger.
“So we manage him prioritisation-wise and this is the reason he’s always giving us maximum effort come game time.”
Other players who have been key for FC Platinum include pint-sized forward Oscar Bhebhe, Tadiwa Muchenje, Garikai Dematsika and Cameroonian goalie Ekoi Manfred Mekumba.
With five league matches left this season, Senong has limited time to make a significant impact on the standings.
But the unbeaten run and four consecutive clean sheets have offered early signs that FC Platinum could be laying the foundations for a longer-term revival.
