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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
MENTAL strength from the top two Central Soccer League teams Tongogara and TelOne will be put to test heading into the last two games of the season, as they battle for the championship.

Tongogara and TelOne are neck-on-neck, tied on 38 points from 20 games, with the army side at the top of the table due to a superior goal difference.

The two sides will faceoff on the last day of the season and collected maximum points in last weekend’s games, with Tongogara beating Blanket Mine 1-0, while TelOne edged FC Platinum Under-19s 2-1.

Pressure is also piling up on the coaches, with former national team winger Joel Luphahla, who is in charge of TelOne saying: “I must admit that there is too much pressure. I’m a perfectionist and under pressure to perform. As a coach, pressure is always there with everyone looking up to you, the players, the directors and whole institution. There’s pressure not to disappoint.”

TelOne are away to Blanket Mine in their next game, while Tongogara will enjoy home advantage against Sheasham.

“Blanket Mine are a very good team and what makes our trip to Gwanda tricky is that they have lost two consecutive games against Sheasham and Tongogara on the road, meaning they will want to put that to an end against us. Mental strength from my players will certainly be put to test. I just hope my boys will come to the party and collect maximum points so that we see what happens in the last game of the season,” said Luphahla.

While Luphahla is feeling the heat, Tongogara coach Kelvin Maphosa is at ease.

“To us every game is a final and we are just playing for maximum points. We are not under pressure at all, we’re relaxed and our focus is just to win the remaining games. What spurs us is that last season we lost the championship to Nichrut two games before the end of the season and we can’t afford to make the same mistake. The players are mentally prepared and are showing hunger to get the Premiership ticket. Actually these days they’ve made my job light because they are pushing themselves,” said Maphosa.

Meanwhile, TelOne striker Mostaf Ponyera won the Elshed Investments top goal scorer of the Month for September after banging in five goals, with the best goalie award going to Tongogara’s Paul Tapfuma.

Results
Sunday: Sheasham 1-1 Ivan Hoe Mine, Tongogara 1-0 Blanket Mine, TelOne 2-1 Platinum Under-19, Whawha 2-1 Lesaffre, Vumbachikwe 1-2 MSU, ZPC Munyati 2-1 Black Eagles

CSL remaining 2 fixtures
Week 21: Tongogara v Sheasham, Blanket Mine v TelOne, Platinum Under-19 v Whawha, Lesaffre v Vumbachikwe, MSU v ZPC Munyati, Black Eagles v Ivan Hoe Mine

Week 22: TelOne v Tongogara, Whawha v Blanket Mine, Vumbachikwe v Platinum Under-19, ZPC Munyati v Lesaffre, Ivan Hoe Mine v MSU, Sheasham v Black Eagles