25 Jan 2018

Gilport Lions coach Paradzayi Mandivenga says his team is showing signs of improvement and can avoid relegation if the players work hard and turn their games in hand into points.

The Lions halted a run of three successive defeats in the BTC Premiership by holding Black Forest to a goalless draw at Molepolole Sports Complex on January 24, but remained rooted at the bottom of the log with five points from 13 matches.

“The team is improving. We are defending well now, even in the game against Rollers we defended well. 

The only problem is we still lack the power upfront. We have small boys upfront and sometimes they run out of ideas, but you can’t blame them. You can’t buy experience, you have to put them in there so that they can have experience and hopeful in two to three games they might come into the party,” Mandivenga said.

The coach said the draw against Forest, and the fact that they managed to keep a clean sheet, has injected belief in the team that they can end their barren spell and start collecting points on regular basis.

Mandivenga further said his inexperienced team has not given up hope of surviving relegation from top flight football, even though they are 12 points adrift of 14^th-placed Security Systems.

“The thing is we have three games in hand and we have to work hard to turn these games in hand into points. If we can do that we can go back to competing to avoid relegation,” he said.

The Lions will be out to notch their second victory of the campaign when they clash with Sharps Shooting Stars in one of their games in hand.

The encounter will be played at the University of Botswana Stadium at 4.30pm on Saturday (January 27) in the afternoon.

Sharps on the other hand will be looking to redeem themselves after suffering a 2-1 defeat at Jwaneng Galaxy on Wednesday (January 24).

Moemedi Moatlhaping converted a spot-kick to register his sixth goal of the campaign for the Excellence Stars with Galaxy scoring through Terrance Mandaza and a Ronny Leagetse own goal. ENDS