Bulawayo City plot survival

BULAWAYO City coach Farai Tawachera says he is confident his side will survive relegation and is targeting  15 points from their remaining games as they host Yadah in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Barbourfields Stadium today.

Tawachera said his side has been playing well in the last few matches even though they failed to collect a single point from their last three.

He conceded that their survival hopes also hinge on how their rivals in the relegation zone will fare.

"For us to survive relegation, it will also depend on how the other teams are going to perform but I am looking at around 15 points. If we can get 15 points from the 30 which are at stake at this moment, I think we can get somewhere," Tawachera said.

He added: "What we have to do as a team is to continue to be serious like what we have done and  put everything in the hands of God. We are trying to make sure we grind a result. The positive so far is that if you look at the games that we have lost, in terms of performance, we have been all over the opponents but somehow things are out of our control; things that we don't have control over tend to benefit the opponents."

After beating Tenax at home, they lost three games on the trot to Highlanders, Herentals and Caps United by an identical 1-0 margin and they are in position 16 on the log table.

Yadah Stars coach Genesis Mangombe has warned his charges to guard against complacency ahead of their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against Bulawayo City tomorrow.

The Harare side has not lost a match in its last eight outings, recording four wins and as many draws. Yadah are now comfortably clear of the relegation zone, with a nine point cushion.

Ten matches remain in the season and Yadah, who once sat in the drop zone, are now looking up rather than below them on the table.

Yadah are one of only two teams that have not lost a match in the second round of the current edition of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with the other being FC Platinum.

"As a coach, I am happy we have not lost a match since return leg but I am afraid of complacency from the boys, I hope they will be able to take every game seriously," Mangombe told NewsDay Sport.

"We are doing good as a team, we have improved a lot this second round.

"We have been working on our finishing for the first time this season, if you check for the first time we banged in three goals. That is a big positive and I hope it will raise more confidence on the boys."

In another crucial match today, championship-chasing FC Platinum will be involved in what promises to be a good contest against Ngezi Platinum Stars.

Norman Mapeza's FC Platinum enjoy a healthy six-point lead at the top ahead of Dynamos and Chicken Inn while Ngezi have seemingly slipped out of the title matrix.

But there is all to play for for the home side who will be looking to earn a respectable position on the league table after a difficult season where they changed coaches three times.

Takesure Chiragwi is on an audition but it hasn't gone well for him as he tries to convince his bosses to give him the job on a substantive basis.