Fungayi Munyoro-Chingaira
SPORTS REPORTER

MUTARE- Manica Diamonds FC will clash with new boys Greenfuel FC in a Manicaland derby with both teams desperate for a win.
The encounter will be played at Gibbo Stadium in Triangle at 3 pm.
Manica Diamonds’ one-all draw against Herentals over the weekend got temperatures to boiling point rendering Friday’s Castle Lager Premier League collision with Greenfuel FC much more important for coach Jairos Tapera.
Tapera said he is desperate to pick up his first set of points of the season after two draws and a defeat. Bekithemba Ndlovu, on the other side has to win this one after a poor start. Manica Diamonds were handed a 2-0 defeat by Harare Giants Caps United in their season’s opener before a 0-0 stalemate with Triangle in the week two fixture.
The former Triangle gaffer added that his charges are improving with each game.
“We don’t want to focus much on the derby because it will give us much pressure. We are focusing on playing against another PSL side. We haven’t gotten three points. We desperately need maximum points. In our first game, we conceded two goals. In the second game, we improved.
“Defensively we were a bit organised, and we drew 0-0. In our third game, we were better. We only had a lapse of mind in the last five minutes. If we look at how we played in our first game,
we played good football but we failed to score. This Friday, we are looking for our first win. It won’t be an easy encounter because Greenfuel is also looking for their first win,” said Tapera.
The Ethanol boys have so far failed to register a victory in the big boys league and are looking for that crucial victory to give a spark to their season which has not been so good. Ndlovu only presided over two games after taking over from Lloyd ‘Samaita’Mutasa who was ‘promoted‘ to technical director.
In their opening three matches, the ethanol boys registered a 1-0 defeat to Yadah, a 1-1 draw against Herentals and a 3-0 thumping by Hwange.
“We want to win this encounter by all means. Like any other team in the league, we are under pressure to deliver. In our last game against Hwange, we played well in the first half. In the second half, we lost concentration and conceded a penalty. Our goalkeeper was also given a red card. We finished with ten men and this affected our performance,” said Ndlovu.
It might be too early in the season to start pressing the panic button yet, but sitting at the bottom of the log could be a time bomb if Ndlovu’s charges do not start collecting maximum points soon.