The Sunday News
Lovemore Dube
IN an era where every football pitch is referred to as a stadium, when everyone who once kicked a ball is referred to as a legend, there are still some good men of humility eager to sing the praises of others.
Former Black Horrors goalkeeper Desmond Pullen may have played for one of the best lower division sides in the South Zone, he believes his teammates were far much better players than him. He also alludes to the fact that in the yesteryear era, the 4-2-4s and 4-3-3s employed by coaches back then made football exciting with plenty of wing play that had lots of creativity and goals were plenty despite players running themselves to standstill just for a handshake.
Today’s generation he believes are privileged lot. Apart from top four finishes in the South Zone Soccer League, Horrors touched the hearts of many in 1979 when they drove the late Albert Matiwaza’s red Isuzu truck into Rufaro Stadium for a Chibuku semi-final tie with dazzling Caps Rovers.
The key components of that side were Grey Mkandawire Ncube, Onias Musana and Lemman Lemmy Mnenekwa.
“At Black Horrors I played with some amazing footballers, very talented players who were skilful and smart up there. I was happy to hear that some like Lemmy and Onias played for bigger clubs. They were brilliant stars who deserved to play at the top. With exposure many of the Black Horrors guys could have played at even the same level as the duo,” said Desmond from his United States of America base.
The 72-year-old has lived in the US since the beginning of 1973 and keeps in touch with home with regular visits to Bulawayo and google search on the latest in football.
A routine search this week led him to stumble on former Black Chiefs goalkeeper Henry Moyo and a chat led to this interview.
“From time to time a flip on the net to read from Chronicle, Sunday News and other Zimbabwe papers on Highlanders and the Warriors help me keep in touch. I love my country and City of Bulawayo where I still have relatives and friends,” said the former Horrors goalkeeper who is a nephew of former transport mogul Fred Pullen of F Pullen and Sons fame in Matabeleland.
A chance visit to Dingimuzi Stadium from Embakwe where he was a teacher who had been a student there earlier led to him getting a slot in between the posts.
Desmond Pullen and a student
He says at first he was reluctant to make the move as he was going to be the only non-black player at the side. But to his surprise he was embraced by the Black Horrors lads to whom skin colour did not matter.
“I was invited along to go and watch Black Horrors in Plumtree. When I go there, there was talk of the club being in need of a goalkeeper. I just said to myself let me give it a try and see how it works out.
“Back then we trained hard and learnt to be versatile to cover for teammates. I played as an inside right (Number 8). During those days we had five offensive players, three central defence guys and two chaps on the wings, so I was a linkman but once thrust into goal in 1970, I never looked back. I commanded the first team jersey and enjoyed my time playing in Plumtree and Bulawayo in the lower division.
“There was lots of talent. Guys like Grey, Lemmy, Onias and one John played to entertain the crowds who got their money’s worth. They made watching football a very pleasurable thing. There is good football being played today but it is nothing compared to what was displayed by Zimbabwean legends of the 1960s and 1970s era,” said the former Embakwe Mission and Founders High School former pupil who still coaches football in the US where his grand daughter Thandiwe is top goal scorer for the girls’ school team.”
Still a bit eloquent in the beautiful iSiNdebele language, Pullen who was born at Indutshwa Farm between Filabusi and Fort Rixon where every two years he returns to donate balls and sports equipment, speaks highly of the yesteryear generation of George Shaya, Bill Sharman, Gibson Homela, Stewart Gilbert, Richard Galloway and the Nxumalos, Josiah and James.
Pullen recalls being a senior to players like Arcadia’s legend Bethal Salis and Galloway at Embakwe.
“Ooh man those were great footballers, endowed with all attributes a coach would look for in a player and they played for pride and honour of the fans and their communities. How is Gibson Homela? What a great player he was to watch. I played with and watched guys who were far, far much better than I was,” concedes Pullen.
Pullen says they were not paid salaries as players or any bonuses. But once in a while club elders like Albert Matiwaza, Ebson Maphosa and Chikuni would give them cash which would be spent across the field at Dingumuzi Beerhall.
“That little money we were given was quickly spent at the pub across from the soccer field with its hard baked grassless surface. The support of our fans and knowledge that I was playing in a team of some of the most skilful players, who did so with irrepressible vigour was enough motivation,” said football coach Pullen.
Pullen left in 1972 with Ian Smith’s notorious call up on the horizon and believes that his departure to the US where he eventually married Karren whom he had met when she came to do volunteer work at Embakwe, may have robbed him of progression in the game.
“Look guys of my generation improved their game with time. I was enjoying my stint with Black Horrors and a majority of the guys in that team of 1972, improved a great deal with Onias ending up being capped for the country and playing for Moroka Swallows in South Africa, I may have ended up playing elite football in the country like my former schoolmates and teammates Galloway and Gilbert,” he said with a chuckle.
Born in 1947, in Insiza District, Pullen attended Embakwe Mission between 1954 and 1965 where he was outstanding as a midfielder.
“I must have faced Onias in clashes between Embakwe and Thekwane where he was a pupil. There was great rivalry between the three schools in football back then. After my time there I moved to Founders where I continued playing the same position while doing my post graduate year ahead of a stint at Hillside Teachers’ Training College,” he said.
He was to taste a bit of the segregation of the time at college. As students of Coloured extraction, they would not get same treatments as Whites.
In his class of 143 trainee teachers, they were just seven coloureds and their football team could just raise 11 players with the 11th being a White who was the college team goalkeeper.
“We were not allowed at the hostels and even the dining room,” he recalls.
Pullen did not want to teach at a government school and applied for a post at Embakwe.
“This turned out to be a fortuitous decision. I met my future bride there. She and two other American young women had a year’s stint as teachers at Embakwe,” added Pullen.
Always nagged by this sporting bug, Pullen was made Hostel Master and coached athletics and football.
Upon his arrival in the US, Pullen worked in Massachusetts for boys where among other duties he coached the boys’ school team. He also ran camps for boys between the ages of 4-18 years for 23 years.
After retiring from teaching and administration, they moved across states to Washington DC in 2007.
He got a chance to work at a shelter for the homeless as director of children’s programmes and has been coaching and appears to savour the moments he is spending with one of his grandchildren, Thandiwe who has scored 18 of the 14-year-olds team’s 25 goals.
Pullen hopes to visit Zimbabwe next year and meet as many former players of his time, meet and reminisce on the good old days of ‘great football.’
