BULAWAYO – Unbeaten Highlanders FC continued their impressive start to the season with a convincing 3-0 victory over Premier Soccer League (PSL) newcomers Chegutu Pirates at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.
The win propelled the Bulawayo giants who extended their unbeaten run to five matches to the top of the table.
A brace by Brighton ‘Maninja’ Ncube and a late header from Lynoth ‘Sonjie’ Chikuhwa were enough to hand the Kelvin Kaindu coached side a victory.
The win comes after their 2-0 win over Telone on Easter Monday, with strikers Ncube and Chikuhwa who had a slow start to the season scoring again.
Sunday’s victory marked the fourth win for Bosso in five outings, after beating arch rivals Dynamos 2-1 in their season opener and edging Simba Bhora (1-0) as well as PSL returnees Telone (2-0).
Speaking after the match, Highlanders coach Kaindu said: “To score three goals without conceding shows that we are improving. We made one tactical change at half time and I think it changed our game.
“I think if I talk about (Archford) Faira from the first game or from the first day I saw him at training I knew we had a player that has a lot of quality, and with the way he is playing I think he is marketing himself for better leagues, he is now a national team player.
“He has been consistent in all the games that we have played and even what we are doing at training you can see him doing it in the game.
“I like the way Maninja (Ncube) scored his second goal, he showed a lot of composure we usually see such kind of goals in European leagues.
“He (Prince Ndlovu) looked good (today) even at training during the week when we played him on the left, we moved him from his usually position but he still looked good.
“Even today (Sunday) he created the third goal and I think there is one pass he made behind that I think Maninja could have finished, also exciting when got the ball that’s what Highlanders fans want to see on the field.”
Meanwhile, Chegutu Pirates coach Day Gutu said: “The atmosphere at BF was a bit tricky and intimidating but I think we gave Highlanders too much respect in the middle of the park and we paid dearly for that.
“Our inexperience was seen, we failed to manage the game. They had a field day on the left flank but it’s work in progress.”
Added Gutu: “Well, in the first half we tried to contain them but if you look at their player profiles, they were superior in all departments. We tried to sit back but it was more of a disaster.
“The substitutions that we made; in terms of stabilizing the ship they were off form and we paid dearly for that.
“My players, from the consolidation zone to the penetration zone were indecisive, were rushing passes and in return Highlanders had a field day in the middle of the park.”
