Scottland FC coach Tonderai Ndiraya has acknowledged that his team remains a “small side” despite boasting high-profile players.

High expectations surrounded Scottland FC in their debut top-flight season due to significant investments, but they have struggled to match the performance of fellow newcomers MWOS, who currently lead the league table with 40 points. Scottland, in contrast, sit fifth, trailing by 12 points.

Speaking to the press following a 1-0 loss to CAPS United in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Matchday 19 encounter at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday, Ndiraya admitted that the expectations from their heavy investments have created mounting pressure.

“Scottland is a new team, despite the investment made,” Ndiraya said. “When such investment is made, the pressure mounts.

“Naturally, we are a small team with big-name players. We’re new to the league and still learning the ropes.

“While learning, we also aim to win. We’ve won games before, and we’ll continue to work hard.”

Ndiraya added: “The pressure is largely coming from our rivals, MWOS, who are performing exceptionally well.

“We were promoted together from Division One, which has raised expectations for us to perform similarly. But football is a process. We still have many games to play, and we’ll see what happens.”

Scottland, who overhauled their squad in the pre-season, recently signed another high-profile https://ojs.njhsciences.com/ player, Terrence Dzvukamanja, from South Africa’s SuperSport United.

Other notable pre-season signings include Khama Billiat, Peter Muduhwa, 2024 Golden Boot winner Lynoth Chikuhwa, and 2024 Soccer Star of the Year Walter Musona.