Ndiraya Focuses on Response After Chicken Inn’s Setback
Hope
Chicken Inn coach Tonderai Ndiraya has expressed his disappointment over his side’s recurring struggles to defend set pieces following their narrow 1-0 defeat to FC Platinum in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash at Mandava Stadium.
The Game Cocks were once again punished from a dead-ball situation, with FC Platinum making the most of a corner kick to secure all three points in a tightly contested encounter.
Jarison Selemani delivered a precise cross into the box, where Tadiwa Muchenje rose highest to power a header past goalkeeper Donavan Bernard, who was left stranded as Chicken Inn conceded yet another costly set-piece goal.
Speaking after the match, Ndiraya admitted the issue has become a major concern for his technical team.
“Of course, I’m very, very concerned,” said Ndiraya. “But it’s something we’re working on. We’ve been dropping points in this manner. In the 12 games we’ve played so far, the matches we’ve lost have all come like this. We keep conceding from free kicks and restarts. It’s very disappointing.”
The coach revealed that set-piece vulnerability remains the team’s biggest weakness this season.
“We’ve only conceded two goals from open play. All the other goals against us have come from set pieces. From a coaching perspective, that’s very disappointing, because it means we’re not improving or changing,” he said.
Ndiraya pointed to lapses in concentration as the key factor behind the defensive errors.
“The most frustrating thing is that you have all the time to organise yourselves on those restarts. Yet we switch off, lose concentration momentarily, and concede.”
He added that opponents are increasingly targeting that weakness.
“When opponents can’t break you down in open play, they’ll always look to exploit these situations. We’re allowing them into our box and failing to defend. It’s very disappointing.”
Reflecting on the match, Ndiraya felt his side had competed well but were punished at a crucial moment.
“I thought we did well in the first half and competed strongly. In the second half, just when we felt we were settling and improving, we conceded from that corner. After that we had no choice but to throw bodies forward, but we couldn’t create enough clear chances.”
Following the defeat, Chicken Inn have now dropped to 13th on the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table with 18 points after Matchday 13, as pressure continues to build on their campaign.
Ndiraya, however, remains hopeful his side can respond quickly.
“But it’s still early days, and there are many games left. We need to go back to the training field and correct the areas where we’re being found wanting. I hope we can improve quickly and start pushing forward again.”
