FC Hunters head coach Nesbert “Yabo” Saruchera is taking the 3-0 loss to defending champions Scottland FC on the chin, acknowledging that his team’s shortcomings were exposed by the quality opposition.
A Khama Billiat brace and a Walter Musona strike were enough for Scottland FC to flex their muscles, registering a 3-0 win in a rather one-sided week 4 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter against FC Hunters at Rufaro Stadium yesterday.
The winless, scoreless Hunters have been dealt a harsh reality check, conceding three goals for the first time in their Premier Soccer League debut season.
FC Hunters have not yet scored a goal four weeks into their Premier Soccer League debut season, a stat they share with Manica Diamonds and Triangle United.
Despite this, they’ve had a decent showing, collecting a point from their opening three matches against MWOS FC, Simba Bhora, and FC Platinum, all of which ended scoreless.
Their defence, marshalled by Benjamin Goliath, had been solid until yesterday, keeping three clean sheets, but struggled against Scottland FC’s attack.
”We need to work on these shortcomings,” Saruchera said, pinpointing the team’s defensive lapses, particularly in aerial battles. “Like today (yesterday) our defence was also not up to scratch, we conceded two headers in front of the two tall defenders. We should have defended better.”
The soft-spoken tactician attributed yesterday’s loss to the quality gap between his team and the defending champions.
”I think the main difference was quality, those guys were too superior. But today, the boys fought hard. Maybe my young boys respected them too much, they gave them too much room,” said Saruchera.
The strike force, which has been struggling to find the back of the net, yesterday endured a tough day, failing to capitalize on chances.
Saruchera knows they need to address this issue quickly.
Despite the setback, Saruchera remains optimistic about his team’s prospects. “It is now water under the bridge, we lost the three points, we need to forget about them quickly and bounce back in style. When we come back from the break, we need to collect the three points.”
FC Hunters are currently 14th on the log, and Saruchera is confident his team can turn things around.
Saruchera is eyeing a bounce-back performance when FC Hunters host ZPC Kariba in week 5.
”It can’t be difficult to motivate them (his charges),” he said. “Our fixture was tough, but we managed to collect a point apiece. When we come back from the break, we need to collect the three points,” added Saruchera.
