HARARE - Black Mambas have shifted attention to their fight for Premiership survival after crashing out of the Mbada Diamonds Cup at the weekend courtesy of a 2-1 defeat to Buffaloes in Mutare.

The police outfit currently sit in 12th position on the log standings with 23 points, two places above the relegation zone.

Mambas’ new signing Edmore Chitato has been tipped by assistant coach Martin Bonongwe to play a leading role in the team’s quest to stay up.

The former Motor Action forward helped Mambas draw 2-2 with his former paymasters two weeks ago before the league took a break for the Mbada Cup first round.

Second half subsitute Chitato pulled one goal back to Mambas, who were trailing 2-0 at the time. He then played a role in the equaliser, scored from the penalty spot by Last Chibwiro.

“He brought a new dimension to the game and that’s when we started to pile a lot of pressure,” Bonongwe said. “He has proved to be a good asset for the team and I think in these remaining nine games, he could prove to be the difference between relegation and survival.”