Esperance     vs     Police     3:30pmNational Football League debutants, Esperance FC have signed two players; one striker and a defender to help bolster the squad in a bid to avoid returning to the second tier afer only one season in the topflight football league.Esperance got promoted to topflight division last year after emerging champions of last season’s second division league when they shocked favourites Sunrise FC in the semi-finals before going on to beat Gicumbi in the final.The new arrivals include; former La Jeunesse striker Hakim Mutabazi, and former Police FC defender Ismail Nsengiyumva.At the halfway mark of the season, Camalade Banamwana’s side are second from bottom of the 14-team table with 7 points, level with bottom side Amagagu FC, having won only two of their last 13 league matches. Banamwana, who was in charge of Bugesera last season when they lost to Gicumbi in the second division semi-final playoffs, hopes the new signings would improve his struggling team. "They both signed today (Thursday) on a one-year contract each, and I hope they can bring experience to our relatively young side, which is playing at this level for the very first time,” he told Saturday Sport on Thursday.The Kimisagara-based side take on fourth-placed Police FC at Mumena stadium before coming up against league leaders and title favourites APR FC next weekend.But Banamwana remains positive, "We need to pick up at least two points from our next two matches, and then we move on to the next target. Avoiding relegation is our main priority.”