Kaindu defends misfiring strikers

Beleaguered Highlanders gaffer Kevin Kaindu has come to the defence of his misfiring strikers, Njabulo Ncube and Simba Sithole, who have failed to sparkle since joining the club in the second half of the season.

Ncube re-joined Bosso in July after a brief and underwhelming stay at Zvishavane outfit FC Platinum, while Sithole has been playing for the club for the past month and is also yet to open his Bosso account.

In last Sunday’s 1-3 home defeat by ZPC Kariba, Bosso started with the unusual striking duo of Sithole and Ncube, but they often seemed to be duplicating roles and both failed to register a single shot on target before they were substituted after the interval.

Incidentally, Ncube was Highlanders’ top goalscorer last year before making the switch to FC Platinum, while Sithole was How Mine’s top goalscorer that same season, records that had led to great expectations from the Bosso faithful.

But on Sunday, Ncube, who was suspended for misconduct early this month, made things worse for himself when he failed to convert a glorious chance in the 21st minute when he was facing an empty net and was later pulled out for Welcome Ndiweni just after the hour mark.

Former Ajax Cape Town player Sithole was equally guilty as he fired over the bar from a good position. With Highlanders going on to lose 1-3, the club’s fans were riled with the misfiring partnership with some blaming the players for not showing commitment.

The accusations continued after the match with some fans resorting to targeting the entire team with missiles of all sorts.

However, Kaindu says the duo are a top class act insisting they combined well against ZPC Kariba on Sunday.

“Our attacking was okay and our two strikers combined very well which is a good thing and all I can say overall is that they have done well,” said Kaindu, who insisted the criticism leveled at the team was driven by the disappointment of losing at home.

“We tried our best and the players did well but people were frustrated,” he added. The Zimbabwe Mail