NGEZI Platinum Stars defender, Patson Jaure has stressed the importance of keeping a clean sheet when they face Angolan side Recreativo do Libolo in their Confederation Cup first round, first leg encounter at the Estádio Municipal de Calulo on Saturday.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The ambitious Mhondoro-based Premier Soccer League (PSL) outfit will leave the country on Wednesday for Angola, seeking to maintain their unbeaten record and edge closer to qualifying for the group stage in their maiden campaign in continental club football.
And one of their senior players, Jaure, who played an important role during their 2-1 aggregate victory over Pamplemousse of Mauritius in the preliminary round, believes the key to Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation Cup success is to stop the Angolan side from scoring in the first leg.
“It’s obviously going to be a much tougher game than the one we played against Pamplemousse. From the research we have done about them [Recreativo do Libolo], it’s clear that they are a good side and they are in good form, so we really have to be prepared.
“Our target is to go there and ensure that we don’t concede or at least get a draw and then look to attack them when they come here for the second leg,” he said.
The 27-year-old defender, who has become a vital cog in the Ngezi rear-guard since returning to the domestic league from South African club University of Pretoria, said he was beginning to recapture the form that once made him a household name in local football.
After his return from South Africa, Jaure was widely-expected to rejoin Harare giants Dynamos — a club he won three PSL titles in a row with, from 2012 to 2014, only for him to opt for the then little-known Ngezi Platinum Stars. The former Warriors and Dynamos captain feels his decision to settle for Ngezi was owing to the club’s success last season.
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“Yes, obviously it came as a surprise to a lot of people that I chose to join Ngezi instead of going back to Dynamos, but I believe I made the right choice. The main reason was that after what I had heard and seen, it was clear to me that they [Ngezi Platinum Stars] had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. Everything here is done in a very professional way. I’m confident that if we continue to work hard, this club has the potential to grow into a formidable force in local football and last season’s success is only the beginning of better things to come,” Jaure said.
Ngezi Platinum Stars finished a credible seventh position in their maiden PSL campaign before claiming the Chibuku Super Cup, to qualify for this year’s Confederation Cup.
