NAPSA Stars Football Club have concluded their second phase of preseason preparation after a 10-day camping in Zambia’s Tourist capital, Livingstone.
Team Head Coach Perry Mutapa says he is happy with how his squad has responded to the 10-day preseason sessions in Livingstone.
Coach Perry and his 24-man squad travelled to Livingstone on July 10, 2022 as the team continues to prepare for the 2022/23 MTN Super League which is scheduled for August 20, 2022.
The team trained in Lusaka for three weeks before traveling to Livingstone for this camp.
Coach has provided his overall assessment of his team’s Livingstone outing saying he is pleased with the fitness levels as well as the team coordination.
The next destination for the Pensioners is heading back to Lusaka to conclude the remaining preseason phase ahead of the MTN Super League Season which will see the ABSA Cup champions face Red Arrows FC in their first match.
“We have managed to achieve the intended purpose for this Livingstone outing and I am happy. We were looking at fitness, coordination and bonding among other things, and these has been seen especially after the two friendly matches that we have had here,” Coach Perry said.
The team played two friendly matches against National Division One South side ‘Play it Forward’ and won by 5 goals to nil, and lost against Livingstone Pirates by 3goals to 2 in their second friendly match.
Musonda Kapembwa and Austin Banda scored two goals each in these matches while Doisy Soko, Gift Zulu and Chaniza Zulu scored a goal each.
Coach Perry who took charge as head coach at the start of the 2021/22 season and saw the team win promotion back to the Super League and bag the 2022 ABSA Cup title, has stressed the need for his team to stabilize and stay in the Super League.
“The last preparatory match was played abruptly because that was not the date we had initially set, but we managed to score two goals and I was extremely happy with the fitness levels which looked high. We are able to create chances too and those are other positives we have picked up,” Coach Perry adds.
The Coach has also added that he has noticed some areas that needs more focus when the team travels back to Lusaka.
He says the focus will be on perfecting all areas and getting the team ready for the season.
And defensive midfielder Keegan Zulu says the Livingstone outing has brought more positives to the team with the major one being team unity.
The Pensioners finished third on the log in the Eden National Division One League last season and will face Red Arrows FC in their first match of the 2022/23 Super League.