Yanga squad hailed as Mtibwa seek reinforce

YOUNG Africans Assistant Coach Cedric Kaze hailed the winning mindset of his charges while Mtibwa Sugar coach Salum Mayanga has called for positive bounce back in their upcoming league fixtures.

A 1-0 away victory at Manungu Complex in Morogoro on New Year Eve enabled Yanga to stay firm at the top of the Premier League table with 50 points from 19-game outings.

They now enjoy a six-point gap against closest pursuers Simba who have bagged 44 points also from 19 matches, making the season’s title chase exciting as the race is not yet over until the finishing line is reached.

Stephanie Aziz Ki made the difference on the day thanks to his 26th minute set-piece drive which sealed the business and awarded Yanga fans a brilliant New Year gift.

“I want to praise the winning mindset and commitment of our players because they ensured that we get maximum points even though we played below par.

“The most important thing for us is the victory because it keeps us moving forward in the championship race. Some of the shortfalls which transpired will be worked at in order to avoid repeating them in our upcoming duels,” Kaze said.

On his part, Mayanga for Mtibwa Sugar revealed that his charges were not efficient enough to transform created scoring opportunities into goals saying it is something they need to improve.

“I was more impressed with the way we played in the second half but could not manage to hit behind the net though we produced a couple of good scoring chances.

“The game is over; our focus is on other incoming matches of which we need to work hard in order to generate positive results. Since the start of the second round of the season, we have not won any match which is not convincing for us,” he said.

From 19 encounters, Mtibwa Sugar have collected 24 points and are among the tough opponents to beat especially when at their turf.