The Sunday News
SUNDAY Life caught up with former Highlanders FC player and manager Lawrence Phiri recently who gave his thoughts on the club’s best ever players.
Phiri’s assertion drawn from his association with the club as a teenager growing up in Mzilikazi in the early 1960s to the end of his playing career in 1982 and a stint as one of the most successful managers of the club sees him include the legendary Ndlovu brothers Adam (late), Madinda and Peter in his list.
Phiri had a distinguished career as a player where from 1966 he played basically all the positions for the club because of his versatility. He was a goalkeeper, centreback, midfielder, and striker but enjoyed better success at right back where for close to a decade he did not have a challenger.
He had an illustrious career as manager of the club from 1984-92, a period that brought the club a lot of success and saw its players dominate national teams at all levels.
In an interview with Sunday Life, Phiri who attended the club’s 90th Anniversary Celebrations in Bulawayo last month, said the three brothers were very outstanding for both club and country.
“You just have to give it to them. They indeed deserve to be in the Highlanders X1 of all time. They were gifted players who gave their all in the game,” said Phiri.
The now based in Botswana Phiri, where he is also a celebrated football hero, having had a hand in the shaping up of Notwane Football Club to a powerhouse, said the Ndlovus’ exploits had helped brand Highlanders FC in the 1980s and 1990s.
Peter became the second player after Bruce Grobbelaar from the club and Zimbabwe to play in the then English First Division which became the Premiership in 1996. After twice winning the Footballer of the Year in 1990 and 1991, Peter broke into the Coventry first team and lasted 14 years in England.
Peter became the first player to score a hat trick against Liverpool at Anfield, achieving that feat in 1995. He was at one stage compared with English football legend George Best because of his infield exploits and wizardry on the wing.
The Flying Elephant as English fans called him, rates among the country’s most capped players and his 38 goals for the country is the highest scored by a national team striker. Peter was not a conventional Number 9 but would from either from a free role or wing strike with devastating effect.
The late Adam, top scored for Highlanders FC and Young Warriors before establishing himself in the famed Dream Team, the Zimbabwe senior team of 1992 to 1993.
Adam’s most memorable feat was the hat trick against Dynamos in the November 1990, FA Cup final and he would in 1994 leave for Switzerland where he played for FC Zurich. Adamski was to form a lethal partnership with Shaun Bartlett of South Africa at the club.
Madinda’s pace, sudden burst of speed and cut-ins made him a favourite of Highlanders and opposition supporters in Zimbabwe. The speed merchant, a successful coach at home and Botswana where he won league championships, had a stint in the German lower division leagues and came close to moving to Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday in 1985, losing out to Kevin Varadi.
Phiri chose Bruce Grobbelaar to guard the goalposts. The Jungle man, undoubtedly the highest profile goalkeeper to rise from Southern Africa, won several titles in Europe with the all-conquering Liverpool of the 1980s.
Grobbelaar had joined Highlanders FC in 1974 and enjoyed two successful seasons with the club before leaving to Durban City, later to return briefly to turn out for Zimbabwe Saints before he joined Vancouver Whitecaps.
At right back, Phiri chose charismatic Mercedes Sibanda who died 14 years ago. A great right back who had a brief stint in Denmark and was sought after by Mamelodi Sundowns in 1991.
He could pack rockets from his right foot and once on the field he belied his off the field character to wow even opposition supporters with his skill and determination.
In the Dream Team he was a key member giving the much needed confidence to a defence of great players like Henry Mckop, the late Melusi Nkiwane, Ephraim Chawanda, John Phiri and the late Francis Shonhayi.
Phiri has Dumisani Nyoni at left back. While he may not have been so lucky with the national team where stern competition at his peak came from other legends like the late duo of Ephraim Dzimbiri and Oliver Kateya, Nyoni made the left back position his own for a decade.
Alexander Maseko, who played for the Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns in 1992-93 was chosen by Phiri to partner Douglas “British Will Never Surrender” Mloyi.
“This was an outstanding defence partnership that I even rate higher than another great one of James Nxumalo and Boet Van Ays of 1973-74,” said Phiri.
Mloyi like Maseko, was capped by his country’s senior national team and with the late Tymon Mabaleka were the first Highlanders FC players to be called up to the national team after independence in 1980.
In midfield Phiri said former national team great Willard Khumalo was a natural choice to anchor with Titus Majola who died in an unfortunate nightclub stabbing incident in 1989, taking up the other slot.
Phiri said the last slot in his line up would be Mark Watson, a prolific goal poacher whose hat trick against Rio Tinto in 1980, helped Highlanders to its first tournament triumph after the guerrilla war.
Phiri said getting to the club’s all-time 11 was not an easy task as some club greats like Majuta Mpofu could not be left out.
Majuta, a chubby dribbling wizard and great subtractor of defenders and passer, could have landed a deal in 1975 to play in Brazil. But injury had put paid to such hopes of a breakthrough by a Zimbabwean with the country waiting until the mid 1990s for Kennedy Nagoli to make his debut in the football talent laden South American country.
Highlanders FC who were formed in 1926 by grandsons of the last publicly acknowledged Ndebele King, Lobengula, at one stage had Benjani Mwaruwari in its reserve team ranks, Rahman Gumbo, a winner of league championships as a coach in three countries Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe, Cleopas Dlodlo who played for Kaizer Chiefs, Lovemore Chafunya a star striker with Mamelodi Sundowns, Ronnie Jowa a brilliant midfielder for Vaal Professionals, once Swiss based Warriors legend Benjamin Konjera and Omonia of Cyprus legend Noel Kaseke.
Others to emerge from the club are former Paphas Athletic Union striker Zenzo Moyo, tear away winger Joel Luphahla and Methembe Ndlovu — now owner of Bantu Rovers, a conveyor belt of great young talent for both domestic and overseas market talent.
Phiri’s Bosso all-time XI
B Grobbelaar, M Sibanda, D Nyoni, D Mloyi, A Maseko, W Khumalo, T Majola, P Ndlovu, A Ndlovu, M Ndlovu, M Wartson.
