Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
WHILE the three other Premier Soccer League teams based in Bulawayo have resumed training as they prepare for the resumption of football at the end of this month, Highlanders players are still yet to return to fine tuning.
Bulawayo City, Bulawayo Chiefs and Chicken Inn have all returned to training after meeting the requirements that relate to vaccination and testing for Covid-19 while Highlanders should start training this week. Highlanders media and communications officer Ronald Moyo said while the team was yet to resume training, the coaches have already come up with their schedule to be implemented this week.
“The team hasn’t started training, but the coaches have already drafted their programme which should start early in the week,’’ Moyo said.
Highlanders did not sign any new players or lose any in the just ended transfer window. The only additions were Joel Ngodzo, Keith Mavhunga, Lynoth Chikuhwa and Peter Muduhwa who are now registered. The four could not play for Bosso in the Chibuku Super Cup since they were yet to receive their international transfer certificates (ICTs).
When the ITCs came, the players were registered last month, which means coach Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu can now include the quartet in his plans when the Chibuku Super Cup resumes at the end of September.
Chicken Inn lost Sipho Ndlovu, Ian Nekati and Elvis Moyo who went to Bulawayo Chiefs, sold Tafadzwa Kutinyu to Tanzania while Paddington Nyamakura is now with Herentals.
Bulawayo City coach, Philani “Beefy” Ncube, whose team has collected just a point after two defeats and a draw from the three matches they have played in the Chibuku Super Cup still believes they can still proceed to the next round of the country’s richest club football competition.
“Players were tested on Monday, we started training on Tuesday. It’s promising, it was unfortunate that we stopped, the results were coming, we hope we start on a positive note. My aim is to win all the three matches but there is no time to prepare considering that we stopped training. We need six weeks to prepare players for these matches. If we can win the remaining, then we can still go on to the Chibuku Super Cup, our destination will be determined by the first game we play,’’ Ncube said.
Amakhosi have added four players, with the most notable being veteran Welcome Ndiweni who was not registered at the start of the Chibuku Super Cup. Humphrey Ncube, Benson Phiri and Dominic Mukandi have been offloaded by City who have lost their assistant coach, Farai Tawachera to Chiefs in the same capacity.
Seeing that players have been out of action for long, Ncube said they will be bringing in a specialist for their Wednesday training session to give expert advice on issues to do with loading players. “On Wednesday, we are bringing in a sports scientist to provide guidance on training. These players have been out for long, we need advice on loading them with work.”
Chiefs have been the most active of the Bulawayo teams as they have been on a signing spree and said to be bringing in a foreign coach who will be assisted by Mark Mathe and Tawachera. — Follow on Twitter @Mdawini_29.