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Telone has decided to lower expectations for the upcoming Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, with club president Oscah Nduwure stating they will not put pressure on coach Herbert Maruwa to secure the championship.

Although they had a brief taste of the championship last year, the WiFi Boys are choosing a more patient strategy, focusing on building a strong base before launching a serious bid for the title in the future.

The previous season was a wild ride for TelOne.

At a certain moment, Maruwa confidently stated that his team was aiming for the title.

Nevertheless, a late-season slump caused them to end up in fifth place, 15 points behind the ultimate winners Scotland.

Although some may consider this a lost chance, Nduwure perceives it as part of a consistent upward movement.

“The goal is to enhance and develop from the previous season,” he said to Sport yesterday.

We placed fifth in the previous season, so achieving anything higher would be positive for us.

Keep in mind, we came in 10th last season, so we’re pleased with the direction we’re heading.

If we succeed in winning the league championship this year, it would be an added advantage for us.

The experienced manager is cautious about the excessive ambition pitfall that frequently affects highly funded teams such as TelOne.

What we don’t wish to do is impose extra stress on the coach who is in the process of assembling his team.

We are granting him some time, and we plan to push for the league in the coming year or two.

The main difficulty Maruwa is encountering this season is the exit of their key forward, Washington Navaya.

The current Soccer Player of the Year and Golden Boot recipient has decided to sign with new team Hardrock.

Selling a striker who scores 17 goals per season could severely weaken most teams finishing mid-table, but Nduwure thinks the core that drove Navaya remains strong.

“We succeeded in retaining the main part of the team… the players who were responsible for Navaya’s successful performance,” he stated.

The athletes who put in the effort to ensure Navaya stood out as he did, and who provided assists, are still around.

We anticipate that an individual will come forth from the darkness to continue what Navaya accomplished for us.

To resolve the lack of uniformity in the prior campaign, TelOne have strengthened their team with six new additions.

The recruitment of players like Innocent Mucheneka, Jerry Chipangura, and goalkeeper Admore Mawere, who once played in Spain, indicates that although the president is advocating for patience, the team is being assembled to compete fiercely.

Other athletes who have come on board include goalkeeper Takudzwa Chikosi, midfielder Chelsea Nyakope, and striker Farai Matatu.

The genuine nature of TelOne’s “no pressure” approach will be put to the test right away.

They received a harsh initial timetable that seems like a nightmare.

A conflict with the traditional powerhouses Dynamos is quickly followed by a confrontation against last year’s runners-up, MWOS.

The challenging initial schedule features a confrontation with the 2024 champions Simba Bhora, followed by a match against former champions FC Platinum, with reigning champions Scottland poised to challenge them on matchday five.

It’s a test of fire that will determine if TelOne are genuinely establishing a legacy or merely delaying.