Moffat Mungazi
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
DANGAMVURA-BORN and bred former Mutare City Rovers player – Chasten ‘Bofaz’ Ngondonga will be back to where it all started — not to reunite with his homeboys, but help plot their downfall as Manica Diamonds hosts troublesome, TelOne at Sakubva Stadium tomorrow (Saturday).
The match starts at 3pm.
Both teams — Manica Diamonds and TelOne — are tied on 10 points and separated by goal difference, with the Gweru-based outfit on fifth position and the Mutare diamond miners on the sixth.
That only raises the stakes for Saturday’s clash between the two sides as the winning side will enjoy a marginal surge on the Castle Lager Premiership log standings, with TelOne fortifying their fifth position on the table, while a win for the Jairos Tapera-coached outfit will see them frog jump their opponents on the log standings.
As Manica Diamonds and TelOne clash at Sakubva Stadium, the sub-plot to the potentially explosive fixture is the return of Ngondonga to a place he calls home, albeit serving the interests of an opponent to his hometown team.
Ngondonga was a well composed defender during his playing days at FC Victoria, Triangle FC and Mutare City Rovers, before he ventured into coaching at several clubs.
He later joined his current employers, Tel-One as an assistant coach to Hebert ‘Jompano’ Maruwa.
Ngondonga coached the now defunct Chipinge-based Gaza Gunners, GreenFuels, MSU, Mutare City Rovers, and is now assisting Maruwa at TelOne FC.
Be that as it may, in a telephone interview from his Gweru base, the former Black Rhinos and Dynamos gaffer, Hebert Maruwa said Manica Diamonds are a big team that deserves their respect.
The shrewd tactician said they will have to be at their best to grind an impressive result.
“It is going to be a tough match playing away from home. Manica Diamonds are a big team, and they will be playing at home. They are also coming from a big loss, so they need to recover quickly. That only will make the match very tough for us. But as TelOne, we need to work extra hard to grind a result on the road.
“We will not be coming to Mutare for a holiday, but to get the best result as a team,” said Maruwa.
After all, Maruwa could be very right.
Manica Diamonds are still smarting from a humiliating 1-4 defeat at the hands of defending champions, Simba Bhora, and getting another defeat will be the worst thing that Tapera and his men will want.
Maruwa refused to be drawn into possible prediction of tomorrow’s encounter.
“It is difficult to predict who will win or lose in a match like this. The last time we played Manica Diamonds, it ended in a nil-all stalemate in Mutare last year. We just need to go there with a positive attitude,” said Maruwa.
True to Maruwa’s words, it can only be after the final whistle tomorrow that all and sundry can tell who is the victor between TelOne and Manica Diamonds!
Online Reporter