Cape Town - Bloemfontein Celtic are hoping that new striking pair Victor Letsoalo and Ndumiso Mabena will make the upcoming season more successful than last.
The Free State side only marginally avoided possible relegation last season, a paltry 16 goals in 30 league matches one of the root causes.
But victory in the pre-season Prince Mangosuthu Legacy Cup (beating AmaZulu 1-0 in the final), and the promising form of new arrivals Letsoalo (ex-Baroka) and Mabena (formerly of Platinum Stars), has brought a renewed sense of optimism, says team manager William Mothokoa.
"Winning the tournament has reignited the winning mentality and it was great seeing players enjoying the win," he told the club's website.
"Since Tuesday when we arrived in Durban, the atmosphere has been sublime with players taken through their paces by our astute coach and his knowledgeable technical team.
"Everyone sees the importance of starting well when the season begins and the commitment that has been detected even from our new signings has been great."
"Our strikers, including Victor Letsoalo and Ndumiso Mabena have been banging goals even during previous friendly games and that is good for the morale of the team.
"The technical team will have a positive headache selecting the team for our first game of the season because all the players are performing well and are ready for the official games," he added.
In charge of Phunya Sele Sele this season is the Serbia-born head coach, Veselin Jelusic.