Marere have given themselves renewed hope of surviving relegation from the MCM-Estates Northern Region Division One after climbing to 15th position on the log table following three consecutive victories.
The club had spent months struggling in the relegation zone, but the narrow gap between the teams battling for survival meant that a strong run of results could quickly change their fortunes. Marere have now taken full advantage of that opportunity, moving from 20th to 15th and giving themselves a much-needed boost in their fight for survival.
Their recent resurgence has also been characterised by an impressive attacking display, with Marere scoring 11 goals in their last three matches.
Despite the dramatic improvement, Marere head coach Justice Mugota, nicknamed “Coach Modric”, insists there is still work to be done.
“The bosses maybe are the ones who are happy and the supporters, but as for me as the coach, I will be happy if the season ends while we are not relegated,” said Mugota.
Mugota has overseen 12 matches since taking charge of Marere, recording seven victories, four defeats and one draw.
The coach believes the team’s turnaround has largely been down to increased concentration and hard work from his players.
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“We work very hard as a team, because where we were, it wasn't good for the whole team and fans. The reason behind was to concentrate, pay much focus to our games, which had made us to here where we are,” said Mugota.
Marere’s fight for survival comes as the Northern Region Division One title race also enters a crucial stage, with Harare City and Black Rhinos separated by just one point with 10 matches remaining.
Marere will face Harare City on Wednesday at Callies Stadium, but Mugota says his side will not be intimidated by their opponents.
“We are the boys from Harare, at Mbare. We won't be frightened by the people whom we know how they play. They will be surprised when we play on Wednesday,” he said.
Harare City, however, remain focused on the bigger picture, with head coach Try Ncube acknowledging that the remaining 10 matches could bring significant changes to the league standings.
“We will keep on pushing. Northern Region is a very tough league. We know that, everyone knows that. So we keep on pushing, keep on trying. There will be many twists and turns. Ten games is a lot of games, so we cannot say we have done anything yet,” said Ncube.
“We are still second, and there are teams behind us that are still coming. So it's not easy. We will keep on pushing, maintain the focus and then hopefully we can keep grinding the results.”
With Marere now out of the relegation zone, Wednesday’s clash against Harare City could provide another important test of their survival credentials.
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