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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
FORMER Flame Lily coach Nesbert Saruchera says he is excited to be back in the football trenches after being appointed coach for Northern Region Division One Soccer League new-boys Cranborne Bullets last month. Saruchera, who helped Flame Lily earn promotion into the Premier League in 2014, was relieved from his duties last year in June after a string of poor results.

And yesterday, Saruchera said he is happy to be back and looking forward to a good season with the Cranborne Bullets, as they make their debut appearance in Division One.

The league starts on the first week of April. “It’s going to be exciting because I have been out for about eight months. We started well at Flame Lily but we couldn’t last, but so far so good. I am going to put more effort. I am happy to be back in the job I love the most.

“We are still early into our pre-season training. Maybe in two weeks’ time we will have our team. We think can compete in Division One but the quality we have is good.

“We are not going to remove everyone, but changes will happen because the challenge will be different,” said Saruchera.

Saruchera, who is also a former Black Rhinos coach, believes his experience will also come in handy as he embarks on a new journey with Cranborne Bullets, who are also an army side.

“Obviously experience is going to count. It’s a young team; we will play to maintain our spot in Division One.

“The executive is very supportive. We spoke and they said in the first year we need to maintain our spot in the league, then the second year we see what happens.

“We have got enough experience in the army as a whole. We might get some players who would not be registered by Black Rhinos. But we are going to assemble a very good side which is going to be competitive,” said Saruchera.

He took over from Ernest Jamu, who is now assistant coach, while Dave Ndoro is the second assistant.

The club’s vice organising secretary, Shadreck Manene, said they needed a more experienced coach to take charge of their team.

“Since we were promoted from a lower Division to a higher Division, we thought of appointing an experienced coach.

“We appointed Saruchera as our coach and we have started our pre-season training.

“He has been in the Premier League, has been in Division One, so we would like to use that experience he has and I think it will help us. He will be helped by those that were there before.

“We are looking forward to beefing up our squad, but trials are ongoing and there are no big names,” said Manene.