The Sunday News
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club coach Baltemar Brito says his side will not fall for Hwange “mind games” following reports that goalkeeper Nedrick Madeya and the league’s leading striker Brighton Makopa are doubtful for the encounter with injuries.
Madeya and Makopa, both former Highlanders players, have been among Hwange’s best performers, with the latter leading the scorers’ charts with four goals.
Highlanders play host to Hwange on Sunday at Barbourfields Stadium, with Brito reporting that two of their players left back Archford Faira and attacking midfielder Elshamar Farasi have been ruled out of the tie, with Ray Lunga subject to a late fitness test.
“We’re not here to do mind games, because people are saying some players from Hwange are injured but they are not. We’re not playing mind games, we’ve Faira out, we’ve Ray maybe he’ll be out too and Shamar (Elshamar Farasi) is out with injury. The rest of the guys are available,” Brito said.
The Bosso coach, whose side is second on table unbeaten after five games with 11 points said their preparations for the Hwange tie are progressing well.
Brito, speaking at the club’s press conference on Thursday, challenged Highlanders striker Calvin “Kung-Fu Panda” to keep his head on the ground following his impressive debut where he rose from the bench to score a brace as Bosso beat Yadah 2-0.
“About Calvin, he fights with us for our goals. Scoring when coming from the bench proves that being on the bench doesn’t mean you’re not capable of doing well. So the boy came from the bench, got two goals, performed well and the most important thing is helping the team. So, now he should be focused on doing his job and when his time comes he should be ready to give a good performance,” Brito said.
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