BY TERRY MADYAUTA FC PLATINUM vice-captain Gift Bello hopes that their win against Harare City last weekend marks a turn of their fortunes in the current Castle Lager Premier Soccer League as they seek to maintain their stranglehold of the topflight league bragging rights.
The defending champions are beset with a litmus test when they face Black Rhinos at Sakubva stadium tommorow at 15h00.
As they endure the long trip to Mutare, the Norman Mapeza coached side are alive to the fact that Black Rhinos are not pushovers, as they are also coming from an impressive 3-1 win over Craneborne Bullets.
Nevertheless, the miners believe their fortunes turned for the better following their win last weekend.
As it stands the miners are forth on the log standings despite dropping points in three of their last four assignments against Bulawayo Chiefs, Dynamos and ZPC Kariba.
They have 11 points on their tally, with four points separating them from early pacesetters, Chicken Inn.
Bello believes they can claim pole position in the next five games if they avoid complacency.
“We are upbeat though we must acknowledge that Black Rhinos are not an easy team for us even in previous meetings. We know them especially that they have quality players,” Bello said.
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“But the win against Harare City gave us confidence that we still have what it takes to beat any team in the league if we remain focused as a team.
“As a team, however, we are not getting too much ahead of ourselves. All that matters now is to focus on the upcoming assignment.
“The next five assignments are very crucial in setting the tone for us and we are also hoping to give our fans good results.”
Assistant coach Daniel Vheremu maintained that their youthful project is slowing gaining confidence and momentum.
“The boys are doing well and we are ready for the next assignment. That win over Harare City was a massive morale booster,” Vheremu said.
“That we managed to beat Harare City shows that we are not weak as perceived. We beat one of the strongest teams in the league and that boosts our confidence.
“Now we face another strong team, Black Rhinos. They have been doing well and they have a good coach. We are working to get maximum points away.”
“Every time the players show good intention to score more goals. Although they might fail to score as much as we want, I am happy that there is potential.
“Last week we scored one and we managed to defend it which is an improvement looking at how we conceded in the past.”
