NGEZI Platinum Stars coach Takesure Chiragwi believes the faith that the club invested in his technical team and the players is starting to pay off after the former champions returned to the summit of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table.
The platinum miners won on their fourth game on the trot after defeating Caps United 2-1 on Sunday.
They now have 13 points, having started with a draw away to new boys Kwekwe United.
With Sunday's win, they are two points clear of second-placed Mwos.
Chiragwi said his players are getting more confident with each win.
"I think we are getting used to winning. The guys are getting more confident that every game we play, we have to win. We showed great character against a strong team like Caps United. Caps United is not a team that will give you a win on a silver platter. We have youngsters coming up who are doing well, especially Karengesha [Ashwin] and Tanaka Munemo. For them to come and perform well against Caps, they deserve a lot of credit," Chiragwi said.
Ngezi Platinum won the league title in 2023 under Chiragwi, but they failed to defend it last year.
It’s early days in the league, but they look like they will be up for the challenge this time around.
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"It's good that we are on top, and it's because we have been on a good streak. But it counts for nothing because we are in a marathon, nothing has been won, it's only five games. The objective is to try and be consistent and we see where that takes us," Chiragwi said.
He gave credit to his bosses for having faith in him when he was first appointed on an interim basis after the club had dismissed Benjani Mwaruwari.
"I want to thank the management of Ngezi Platinum Stars for allowing that continuity in the technical team and the players. You cannot build a team in one season. That faith is paying off now because this technical team and the group of players we have have been working together for some seasons now. The players understand how they are supposed to play and they are improving every year. I want to give credit to the management for having faith in me as a young coach and supporting me even when things were not going well."
While it's all blissful at Ngezi, it's all doom and gloom in the Caps United camp where supporters demanded the firing of coach Lloyd Chitembwe following Sunday's defeat, which is their third so far.
They also lost to TelOne and Scottland.
Caps United have plunged deep into the relegation zone.
They have Bikita Minerals, Triangle and Chicken Inn for company.
Caps United have conceded the second highest number of goals so far.
The Green Machine are no where near where they want to be as they trail log leaders Ngezi Platinum Sby nine points.
Sunday was another bad day for the Caps family after a second defeat on the trot.
It's slipping away way too early for the Caps United faithfuls’ tolerance.
"It was a very good game for the fans, an exciting game of football where I saw a lot of commitment from the players," Chitembwe reflected after the match.
"Unfortunately we came out of it bruised, the result did not match the performance. This was a result of mistakes we made after we scored a goal, I thought we could have done better. The moment they scored their goal, It was always going to be difficult, but the boys tried their best. We always try to play football the way it should be, but defensively we were found wanting. It has been a big issue for us in recent matches. We have been conceding goals."
Caps have let in six goals so far this season.
