Recently crowned Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions Scottland FC were held to a goalless draw by Green Fuel in a lively encounter at Wadzanai Stadium in Shamva on Saturday afternoon.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya, reflecting on the result admitted that it had been difficult to keep his players motivated after securing the league title but remained upbeat about finishing the season strongly.
“After winning the championship, we then set ourselves a target of getting to 71 points, so that was the motivation behind this game and the next one. But we failed already, so the next target would be 69 points. We’ll try and push for that. It’s a bit difficult to motivate the players, especially after you have won the title,” Ndiraya said.
Ndiraya said the team’s celebratory mood since clinching the championship had affected their focus.
“Since the Kwekwe game, the players have been in a celebratory mood throughout the whole week. Even at training, you could see the excitement, but we tried psychologically to talk to them and prepare them for this game,” he added.
Scottland created several chances in the first half, but poor finishing cost them maximum points.
“I thought in the first half we should have put away the chances that came Mafios Chiweta’s way. He was getting into the right positions, but the execution let him down. Khama also got a chance so many chances in that half,” Ndiraya said.
The champions’ attacking rhythm was disrupted when Machope was forced off with injury, leaving Khama to shoulder the creative burden.
“When we lost Machope in the first half, the creativity was left to Khama alone. We brought in Kuda Munyama, but we didn’t really get much from him,” Ndiraya noted.
In the latter stages, Ndiraya introduced 16-year-old Chakuchichi who impressed with his energy but struggled with his final ball.
“He was running at defenders, very exciting, but the final ball was not there. He’s still developing,” the coach said.
Despite the stalemate Ndiraya praised Green Fuel for their resilience and defensive organisation.
“Green Fuel fought hard for the point. They defended well, and I think they deserved the result they got today. A point was fair, though if we had taken our chances, we could have had maximum points,” he said.
The Scottland boss said he hopes the upcoming international break will allow his squad to regroup ahead of their final league match against Kwekwe.
“Hopefully the break will re-energise us and we will finish the season strongly,” he added.
Scottland have already wrapped up the title but remain determined to end their campaign in style.
