Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
STRUGGLING municipal Castle Lager Premier Soccer League side Bulawayo City say their focus is on retaining their topflight status for the 2023 season.
With about a third of championship matches played, City find themselves in relegation waters, second from the bottom on the 2021/22 PSL table with six points from 10 games.
City, whose first dance in the topflight was in 2016, a season in which they showed hope and had their best finish (eighth), need to quickly turn around their fortunes if they want to remain in the Premiership next year.
They survived the relegation axe by a whisker in 2017, finishing 14th and escaping by just a point.
However, luck wasn’t on their side the following year when they were relegated after finishing 16th.
But they made a quick return to the PSL bby winning the Zifa Southern Region Division One League in 2019.
But their return hasn’t been rosy, leaving their coach Philani ‘Beefy’ Ncube feeling the heat.
Ncube wants his youngsters to speedily turn the tide by working on their mental strength to help sail their sinking ship to safety, and is confident that they can turn the leaf and survive the chop.
“As a coach my duty is to make sure that I train the players in a way that we fight against relegation. We have to survive and I’m confident that is possible. If you look at our team, most of the boys are young, with the average age between 20 and 22 years. I can say that building these youngsters is a process, but that doesn’t mean we have to forgo results.
“We’re working hard, trying to grind results and what we’ve realised as a technical team is that we have to work on our mental strength. We’re losing games because of lack of mental strength and failing to concentrate throughout the match,” said Ncube.
Despite City struggling, some of their youngsters have showcased their talents and won admiration from fans.
Towering 19-year-old central defender Mpumelelo Bhebhe has managed to hold down a starting place, forming a good partnership with Vincent Moyo, who joined from Highlanders last year.
Utility player Melikhaya Ncube (23) has also been a marvel alongside 21-year-old left link Genius Mtungamiri.
City, who take on FC Platinum at home on Saturday, gave 21-year-old former Orlando Pirates development striker Rodi Sibanda his Premiership debut against Cranborne Bullets. Sibanda joined City before the closure of last month’s transfer window from Highlanders alongside 22-year-old goalie Reward Muza.
Ex-How Mine and Bantu Rovers utility player Nqobile Ndlovu, 20-year-old Mennas Mangumba, who can play at right-back or as a right-sided midfielder, as well as 24-year-old central midfielder Fredrick Muza are some of the players expected to push for City’s survival.
City deregistered former Young Warriors striker Wisdom M’tasa, lost attacking midfielder Alton Ndlovu to First Division side Talen Vision, as well as Tanaka Zinaka to Chicken Inn in the transfer window. – @ZililoR
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