Highlanders to parade new signings
By Ricky Zililo
HARD-TO-PLEASE Highlanders FC supporters will watch all their pre-season signings as well as trialists in action in a double header set for Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.
A deadly combination that is brewing at Bosso featuring Joel Ngodzo and Kudakwashe Mahachi is likely to be unleashed in the main match of the day against FC Platinum at 3PM with trialists and other players who failed to make it for the main game playing against Black Boots just after midday.
Last Sunday, over 8,000 football lovers paid their way into Emagumeni for Highlanders’ first match of the year against Harare City which the Bulawayo giants won 2-1.
In that match Bosso’s new signings that featured are Kudakwashe Mahachi, Charles Sibanda, Valentine Ndaba, Welcome Ndiweni and Mkhululi Dube.
Highlanders’ stand-in coach Mark Mathe said the match would afford them an opportunity to have a look at the new recruits, including Canadian players trying their luck at Bosso.
“We have two games and that will afford us a chance to try almost all the players that are here. Not everyone can play on the same day and that is why last weekend we had to use some of the new guys to see how they gel and in an effort to achieve our target, we will continue playing our new signings with the old guys to perfect the combinations.
“What is key here which we are not hiding is the matter of instilling a winning mentality which means that we are taking both games seriously,” said Mathe.
Mahachi left a lasting impression in his first appearance with his great ball artistry, causing havoc in Harare City’s defence the entire match.
No doubt, he sat a benchmark for returning Ngodzo to surpass and supporters are eager to see how the two will combine in the event that they are played at the same time.
Ngodzo looked to be destined for success during his stint at Bosso before joining cash-rich FC Platinum at the beginning of the 2011 season but his career was stagnant in Zvishavane. Having been given a lifeline at Highlanders, Ngodzo is hard-pressed to repay the faith the club has in him.
Another latest acquisition who sat it out against Harare City is utility player Felix Chindungwe who is expected to provide stability at central defence and can also be played as a defensive midfielder.
What was clear last week was that Sibanda and Milton Ncube cannot play at the same time as they are both good as silent strikers, coming from the midfield and it remains to be seen whether Mathe will field the two in the starting 11.
Just like Mathe, FC platinum coach Lloyd Mutasa is also using the match to work on his combinations having been very active in the transfer market.
They brought in Njabulo “Tshiki” Ncube from Highlanders, Tarisai Rukanda (Shabanie Mine), Stephen “Dealer” Sibanda (Buffaloes), national Under-20 duo of Walter Musona and Wisdom Mutasa from Aces Youth Academy but turned out for relegated Motor Action last season.
“The game against Highlanders will help us to see how we are moving in terms of our preparations but of course we want to get a positive result. This is an opportune time for the new guys to prove themselves as we assess how they are gelling with the rest of the players in the team,” Mutasa said.
Meanwhile, gate charges have been pegged at $3 for the rest of the ground, $5 on the wings and those that want to sit in the VIP tribune would part with $10. The Chronicle
