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Sports Reporter
PREMIERSHIP newboys Yadah Stars have become the first club to be promoted into the domestic top-flight league and keep a clean sheet in their first four league matches of the campaign, since the turn of the millennium.

The ambitious Harare side, who won promotion from the ZIFA Eastern Region Division One League at the first-time of asking last year, are yet to concede a goal in the Castle Lager Premiership.

Yadah Stars sit proudly in second place in the championship race, just a point behind early pacesetters Ngezi Platinum who have won three of their first four league matches.

Interestingly, Ngezi Platinum’s only loss of the campaign to date came at the hands of Yadah Stars at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday when the newboys beat Tonderai Ndiraya’s men 1-0 in the biggest shock of results last weekend.

Ndiraya’s men had scored six goals in their first three matches, at an average of two goals per game, after beating Black Rhinos 1-0 in Ngezi, thrashing Hwange 3-0 at the Colliery and defeating How Mine 2-0 in Mhondoro.

But the team, which represented the country in the CAF Confederation Cup this year, could not find a way past a stubborn Yadah Stars’ defence at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday as they crashed to a defeat that sent shock waves throughout the country.

The only goal that Ngezi Platinum have conceded, in the domestic campaign this season, was the one that sank them to their first defeat on Saturday.

Yadah Stars, who travel to Gweru today for a date against Chapungu at Ascot tomorrow, have not conceded a goal in 360 minutes of Premiership action in four matches against Harare City, ZPC Kariba and a Tsholotsho side yet to lose this season after forcing a goalless draw in Beitbridge.

And, to show how impressive the Yadah Stars’ defence has been, the same Tsholotsho side came to the capital on Sunday and scored in a 1-1 draw against champions CAPS United at the National Sports Stadium with the Green Machine needing to come from behind to force a share of the spoils. In sharp contrast Bantu Rovers, the other club that was promoted into the Premiership this year, have already conceded 11 goals in the four games they have played this season.

The Yadah Stars defence is built around veteran goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube, who has been impressive in all the four matches, and gangly defensive pillar Jimmy Dzingai whose imposing built, athleticism and impressive fitness levels could provide the country with a central defender who could play for the Warriors. Dzingai scored that “Miracle Goal” which helped Yadah Stars edge ZPC Kariba 1-0 at the giant stadium.

No sooner had Yadah Stars completed their giant-killing act over Ngezi Platinum were the Premiership newboys back in training, on Sunday morning, as they prepared for today’s trip to Gweru for their clash against Chapungu.

The club’s president, Prophet Walter Magaya, who was in Gweru for a two-day crusade when his men toppled Ngezi Platinum, was busy conducting drills at the training session on Sunday morning just hours after completing his crusade.

“This is about loading the players to ensure that they retain the kind of levels that they had yesterday (in the match against Ngezi Platinum) and also to ensure they don’t lose their focus because there is a danger they can lose that focus, after such a good result, believing they are now unbeatable,’’ he told The Herald.

“It’s all scientific, the approach, and there will be an all-day training session on Monday (yesterday) and then the boys will take it easy on Tuesday because they need to recover and ensure they are in good shape for the game against Chapungu.

“This is serious stuff, there are no short-cuts to success and I can tell you that while the boys might not enjoy it now, they will enjoy the benefits at the end.

“Even though I wasn’t here in Harare on Saturday, I kept in touch with my boys during that game and how it was shaping up and what could be done in terms of ensuring that we get the result that we were looking for and it’s good that we got the victory which we deserved and that will boost the confidence of the team.

“Obviously, it’s going to be tougher as we go forward but that’s why we are in the big league and we will fight.”