Story by Mthokozisi Dube
MWOS head coach Lloyd Mutasa is enjoying a new lease of life after setting the pace in their debut Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season after eight rounds of matches.
A prolific midfielder during his playing days, Samaita, as Lloyd Mutasa is popularly known, was part of the all-conquering Dynamos class of 1998.
Mutasa announced his grand entry to the coaching fray as head coach of Kiglon in 2007.
The soft-spoken coach, however, sits on a record of guiding three different teams from the lower leagues to the premiership.
Mutasa led the now defunct pair of Kiglon and Highway before sealing promotion with Green Fuel.
Last year, the gaffer missed promotion via a boardroom decision before bouncing through a franchise acquisition and has demonstrated that they are a team on a mission.
After eight rounds of matches, the Punters have downed giants in Highlanders and Dynamos and are yet to lose, but Mutasa still believes it is early days.
“It is nice to be on top of the log as debutants in the league. I would want to believe the recipe for success was our pre-season. Remember, our leaders assisted the technical team in going to Turkey for some lessons, and after that, we had a two-week stint of team building in Victoria Falls. The motivation of playing in the league after coming second after we probably thought we were winners has seen us trying to prove a point that we are champions,” he said.
The former Dynamos midfielder who had a unique dress code during his stint at Dynamos has been on the receiving end losing his job at FC Platinum, Dynamos and Green Fuel and believes he has found a perfect home to nurture his coaching skills.
Mutasa believes a good work environment is the only recipe for the team’s success and credits teamwork with the MWOS family.
Presumably, it was a case of becoming a discarded stone for Samaita or it was purely a case of time and a change of environment. Time will tell.
Alongside former champions FC Platinum, MWOS are still to taste defeat having amassed 18 points from five wins and three stalemates.
