Mbeya City set sights on Premier League success

ARUSHA: MBEYA City’s Head Coach, Salumu Mayanga, says his side has improved technically and tactically after collecting nine points from their opening four matches of the Tanzania Mainland Premier League.

Mbeya City have won three matches and lost one, collecting nine points to sit fifth in the NBC Premier League standings.

Speaking during the team’s Media Day in Arusha, Mayanga said although they started the league with an unsatisfactory result, the team has continued to improve its performance as the matches progress and is now working on building a stronger combination within the squad.

He said Mbeya City started the season with a home defeat but responded by winning their next three matches, including their first away match against Fountain Gate.

“Generally, we started the league with a defeat, but as we continued playing matches, we became better technically and tactically,” he said.

Mayanga said the away victory had boosted his players’ confidence ahead of their match against TRA United scheduled for Saturday, September 4, insisting that they must continue working hard to secure another victory despite having two players who are not in good condition.

“When you perform well, confidence increases, and I think that is there. We will continue to maintain it by playing and fighting to secure a second away victory,” he said.

Commenting on the competitiveness of this season, Mayanga said it has been high and his team was continuing with training to cope with the challenge.

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“We did not have enough time to prepare before the season started, but we continue making adjustments as the league progresses, particularly in building a combination within the squad,” he said.

Mbeya City captain, David Ambokile, said the players had set a target of finishing among the top five teams after learning from last season’s mistakes, which forced them to play in the relegation play-offs.

Speaking about the match against TRA United, Ambokile said it would be a difficult encounter as both sides needed three points, but Mbeya City were prepared to fight for victory.

He urged Mbeya City fans to have faith in the team and continue supporting the players.

Mbeya City Information Officer Gwamaka Mwankota said the team had made a good start to the season after collecting nine points from four matches, with the aim of adding more points against TRA United.

“We respect TRA because it is a good team, but Mbeya City are in Arusha with the aim of collecting three points,” he said.