Clifton Kadurira has embarked on another promotion mission, this time with Mutukwa Academy, as the experienced coach seeks to repeat the feat that once saw him guide Ngezi Platinum from the lower ranks into Zimbabwe’s top-flight football.

Kadurira, who spent three and a half years with Ngezi Platinum, joined the club when it was still competing in the ZIFA Northern Region Division One League before helping it secure promotion to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.

His journey with Ngezi included leading the side to the 2015 ZIFA Northern Region Division One championship, which earned promotion to the Premiership. He was subsequently part of the club’s early campaign in its debut PSL season in 2016 before returning as interim head coach for the final five matches of the 2018 season following the departure of Tonderai Ndiraya.

Now coaching in the ZIFA Mashonaland East Division Two B with Mutukwa Academy, Kadurira has traded the intensity and exposure of top-flight football for a developmental environment where results remain the immediate currency.

The transition has not necessarily been glamorous, but for Kadurira, it is about loyalty to football and another opportunity to build a team from the ground up.

“I spent three and a half years at Ngezi Platinum Stars. I took the team while it was in Division One and went with it to the PSL, so that is the same thing I’m doing for Mutukwa. We are aiming for Division One promotion,” Kadurira told ZimNow.

His return to the lower leagues also underlines the different demands placed on coaches at various levels of the game. While the technical and tactical principles remain important, Kadurira believes a coach must understand the realities of the competition in which he is operating.

“From the PSL side, which we are used to, you have to adapt to the play of the youngsters and teach them how to play and market themselves,” he said.

That adjustment is particularly important at academy and lower-division level, where coaches are not only expected to chase results but also develop young players capable of progressing to higher levels.

For Mutukwa Academy, however, development cannot come at the expense of ambition.

With the ZIFA Mashonaland East Division Two B season now at matchday 17, the club is firmly in the promotion conversation. Kadurira has been in charge for four matches, and the early signs have been encouraging.

Club patron Kennel Edward Mutukwa says the objective is clear: get the team into the Northern Region Division One League.

“I want these boys to just win their games and play in the Division One side, but where we are currently placed on the log table, we need to win games and also win the play-offs to secure our place in the Northern Region Division League,” said Mutukwa.

The promotion race means every point matters, particularly with the play-offs potentially determining Mutukwa Academy’s ultimate fate.

Kadurira, however, appears unfazed by the pressure.

Despite the difference in competition between the PSL and Division Two, the former Ngezi mentor believes his players are already responding to his methods.

“It’s been four games so far with the boys and I have received positive results. You can see the boys are really doing well, and we ensure our supporters get good vibes,” he said.

Mutukwa Academy currently sits third on the ZIFA Mashonaland East Division Two B log with 31 points, leaving the club with work to do if it is to finish at the top end of the table and strengthen its position ahead of the promotion play-offs.

The club is also trying to distinguish itself from the financial struggles that have long affected lower-division football in Zimbabwe.

While many Division Two players compete without consistent financial rewards, Mutukwa Academy pays its players and has introduced a winning bonus of US$50, an incentive that the club believes can sharpen the players’ hunger for results.

“The boys need to be happy and they also have life to take care of, so they need money to take care of themselves,” Mutukwa said.

For Kadurira, that support could prove crucial as he attempts to turn a group of young players into a promotion-winning side.