Soldiers warn platinum miners

By The NewsDay | May. 2, 2017 | 2 Min read

BLACK Rhinos coach Stanford “Stix” Mtizwa is happy with the way his charges have fared in the topflight league this far and is confident they will be equal to the task when they face off Norman Mapeza’s FC Platinum at Morris Depot this afternoon.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

The army side have had an explosive start to the campaign, putting together three wins out of four matches, including last week’s 1-0 victory away to Chicken Inn. They have tasted just one defeat to Ngezi Platinum, who edged them 1-0.

They are in fifth place with nine points from four matches, three behind log leaders Highlanders, who have played one game more.

They have the same goal difference of plus four, with the log leaders and if they can win by any margin against FC Platinum, this afternoon, it will catapult the army side to the summit of the league for the first time, a scenario that will spark a fierce battle among the chasing pack.

However, the unassuming Black Rhinos gaffer played down the issue yesterday suggesting FC Platinum were one of the big four teams in the Premier Soccer League and had “a good tactician” in Mapeza.

“FC Platinum are one of the biggest teams in the league. They are a good team in the same mould with Caps United, Highlanders and Dynamos. They also have a good coach in Mapeza. It will not be easy. But I want to applaud my boys for coping up with Premier Soccer League pressure. Black Rhinos have been in and out of the league and we want to maintain our status. If they can keep the same mentality, they have shown so far, we will achieve our objective,” Mtizwa said.

The Black Rhinos coach is also pleased with the fact that his dressing room has a clean bill of health and is ready to face FC Platinum. “We have a clean bill of health. Everyone is ready for this game,” he said.