SCOTTLAND FC head coach Norman Mapeza believes his charges are finally singing from the same hymn book after the team shot to the summit of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League log standings with a convincing 3-0 demolition of Triangle United FC at Rufaro Stadium on Thursday.
The emphatic midweek victory ensured that Mabviravira reached the halfway stage of the season with a two-point cushion at the top of the table, amassing 34 points from 16 matches.
It has not been a smooth sailing journey for Mapeza, who made a high-profile move from FC Platinum at the start of the campaign.
After a sluggish start to life at Scottland FC, the veteran tactician found himself under immense pressure, with impatient sections of the club’s fan base openly calling for his sacking.
However, a spectacular finish to the first half of the season — characterised by a seven-match unbeaten run including five wins and two draws — has completely transformed the mood around the club.
Coinciding with Scottland’s roaring form is the resurgence of veteran star player and former Warriors captain, Knowledge Musona.
Keep Reading
- Mapeza wary of Diamond invasion
- Mapeza discovers another gem
- FC Platinum wary of dangerous WhaWha
- Mapeza salutes WhaWha
The “Smiling Assassin” has been in lethal form, netting five goals in his last four appearances, a scoring streak that has propelled the team to four consecutive wins.
Musona was on target against Triangle United, opening the floodgates in the first half before Muhammad Issaka and company sealed the 3-0 victory.
Reflecting on a roller-coaster first half of the season, Mapeza candidly opened up about the difficult start and the realities of topflight football management.
“Like I said, we started slowly and you know slowly things were decided, but look, in our industry here there is a day where a coach will leave his job. So when we work, we work with those things in our minds,” he said.
The former national team coach emphasised that patience was required as he inherited a squad he did not assemble.
“Things were not working, but look, if you look at this squad, I never brought anybody here, I just carry on from where the coach left.
“So it's about adjustment, they are adjusting to whatever I wanted them to do.
“Now the signs are showing off, but we still have a long way to go.”
Despite sitting pretty at the top, Mapeza admitted their home form at Rufaro had initially been a cause for concern due to a failure to convert dominant performances into maximum points.
“The first half of the season has been up and down.
“I think if you look at the majority of the games played here in Harare, we didn’t do that well because we had so many draws.
“We lost once here at home. Then it was about so many draws.
“Then I think away, we did much better because our wins came from our away games.
“But look, this is football... we just kept working hard and now I think it’s about us being consistent going forward.”
While Musona has been grabbing the headlines upfront, Mapeza was quick to praise his defensive unit, which has been the bedrock of their title charge, keeping an incredible 13 clean sheets so far.
He credited the formidable back four of Kevin Moyo, Peter Muduhwa, Kwakhe Thwala and Issaka for their telepathic understanding.
“Look, like I say, you know, if there is communication then there’s a connection,” Mapeza noted.
“So talking about Kevin Moyo, Peter Muduhwa, Kwakhe Thwala, and Muhammad Issaka — I’m happy for Muhammad, he scored today (against Triangle).
“I think that communication has been helping us because there is now an understanding between those guys at the back.
“Not taking anything away from our midfielders and our strike force as well, but I think that communication has brought so much organisation to our defence.”
With the gears finally clicking, Mapeza noted that the chief difference between their early-season struggles and their current ruthless form is precision in front of goal.
"If you look at the statistics, we had so many games which we were drawing, we were dropping points, but if you look at how we were creating opportunities, maybe per game it was four, five opportunities, but we were failing to score.
“Now it's like everything has clicked, but we just have to remain with our feet on the ground and like I said, we just have to take the game as it comes,” he concluded.
Mabviravira’s credentials will face an ultimate litmus test tomorrow when they host second-placed Hardrock FC at Rufaro Stadium in a highly anticipated, top-of-the-table blockbuster clash.