Chronicle Editor
Fungai Muderere in BLANTYRE, Malawi
CHICKEN Inn gaffer Joey Antipas reckons his side’s second appearance in the four-team invitational tournament in Malawi will help them rectify mistakes they made in the second half of last season resulting in them losing the league title to FC Platinum.
Antipas made these remarks at the Energem International Bonanza teams’ press conference held at Nyasa Big Bullets offices yesterday.
“The tournament will greatly help us and we think we are coming here to rectify some of the mistakes we made in the second half of the past Zimbabwean league. After we lost our top marksman (Clive Augusto), we also lost our rhythm and we lost the championship race to eventual winners FC Platinum,” said Antipas.
“As such, we are really happy to be back in Malawi to feature in an organised and well sponsored international tournament. It’s a good pre-season initiative that will help us further assess our new players,” he said ahead of today’s match against Be Forward Wanderers of Malawi at Kamuzu Stadium.
Ex-ZPC Kariba defender Ian Nekati, former Talen Vision forward Brian Muza and Leroy Ndlovu are among the Gamecocks’ new signings hoping to impress Antipas in a match that will be beamed live on Malawi’s Mibawa Television.
Be Forward Wanderers assistant coach Oscar Kaunda said they were looking forward to locking horns with the former Zimbabwe champions.
“For a fact, I know Chicken Inn will give us a good run, but we are very much ready to face them. We are also coming from an off-season and all the tournament’s three games will not be easy, but we hope to do well,” said Kaunda.
Today’s other match will feature Callisto Pasuwa’s Nyasa Big Bullets and UD Songo of Mozambique.
“Invited teams will help us to work extra hard. Naturally international matches greatly help players to raise their game. We are going to give all our players game time so that they share energy levels,” said Pasuwa.
The Gamecocks will take on Pasuwa’s Bullets in a clash of former Warriors’ coaches tomorrow before rounding off their tour with a game against UD Songo.
Online Reporter