Mapeza maintains his cool

Despite narrowing the gap between them and the league leaders, Ngezi Platinum, FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza is maintaining a cautious approach as the title race intensifies.

FC Platinum secured a 1-0 victory over Ngezi Platinum on Saturday, reducing the gap to five points and swiftly moving into second place in the league standings. Their position was further improved by Highlanders' 3-0 defeat to Simba Bhora on the same day.

FC Platinum is currently the most in-form team in the league, having won their last five matches consecutively. However, Mapeza is keen not to put undue pressure on his players during this critical phase of the title race.

Mapeza stated, "What is important for us is to keep grinding out results. We need to take each game as it comes. While we don't play football to lose, sometimes it happens, but our ultimate goal is to win. Draws can occur, but wherever we play, we play with the intention to win."

He emphasized that the recent victory against Ngezi Platinum wouldn't drastically change the league standings, and the team's focus remains on their upcoming matches.

Mapeza's FC Platinum has collected 46 points, while Ngezi Platinum is currently at 51 points. FC Platinum's recent winning streak includes victories over Caps United, Triangle, Herentals, Manica Diamonds, and Ngezi Platinum.

However, their upcoming schedule includes challenging matches against ZPC Kariba, Black Rhinos, and Green Fuel, all of which are battling relegation. Additionally, they will face a tough away game against Dynamos in Harare.