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THE Premier Soccer League newcomers are sounding bullish ahead of the upcoming 2015 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League which kicks off on March 7.
Dongo Sawmill (Eastern Region), Flame Lily (Northern Region), Whawha (Central Region) and Tsholotsho (Southern Region) were promoted at the end of last season and were this morning inducted by the PSL, marking the beginning of maiden dance with football’s big boys.
The debutants are however unfazed by the challenge that lies ahead of them in a league that has been cruel to newcomers in recent seasons.
Whawha chairperson Musa Ntonga fired the warning shots declaring that her team would not buckle under the pressure that comes with playing the country’s best football teams.
“We will not want to be visitors who come and go; we intend to acquire permanent citizenship in the top flight league.
“We are at the advanced stage of our preparations and I am convinced the players selected by our technical team during the trials will do battle sufficiently,” said Ntonga who will be the only female chairperson of a club when the league kicks off.
Former Dynamos and FC Platinum coach Lloyd Mutasa is the club’s technical advisor while former Warriors striker Luke Petros is the coach at the club they call “Chekera Pasi” in the Midlands.
Northern Region Soccer League champions Flame Lily, who play fellow newcomers Dongo in a friendly this Sunday, are also planning another “ZPC Kariba” and ruffle feathers in their maiden top flight season.
“We would want to emulate what ZPC Kariba did last season, they are our brothers because they were promoted from the Northern Region and their fairytale run last year inspires us,” said Nelson Chikwature, the club’s chairman.
Dongo Sawmill sole owner Francis Dongo said his team’s preparations were “moving in the right direction” while Tsholotsho FC, who will be using White City stadium in Bulawayo hinted that they would most likely rely on the players they brought from Division One.
The two-day workshop, which was also attended by representatives from Chapungu and ZPC Kariba, who were promoted at the end of 2013, is being conducted by the PSL chief executive officer Kenny Ndebele who is a qualified FIFA instructor.
Online Reporter