Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
Zimpapers Sports Hub
HIGHLANDERS’ goal drought is fast becoming a cause for concern, but coach Benjani Mwaruwari insists panic is not part of the equation as he continues to trust the “machine” he is building.
Six games into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, Bosso are yet to taste victory, drawing all their matches with their latest setback a goalless stalemate against defending champions Scottland on Easter Monday. They have even won themselves a new nickname: “Drawlanders”.
More worrying, however, is a blunt attack that has gone four consecutive matches without scoring, their worst run in front of goal since May 2019.
The statistics paint a frustrating picture, unbeaten and competitive but yet lacking the cutting edge needed to turn performances into wins.
For a club of Highlanders’ stature, patience is already wearing thin among sections of the faithful, who have watched promising build-ups repeatedly fade away in the final third.
But coach Mwaruwari, drawing from his own experience as a striker, believes the issue is not creativity, but confidence a hurdle he is confident his players will overcome.
“It’s not that we don’t create chances, we are creating them, we are just missing them. That last bit, to bury those chances, has been lacking,” he said.
“I have been a striker, I know it’s difficult when you’re playing under pressure, trying to win games and trying to score. But we will work on it, especially in the final third. Hopefully, very soon, we will get a goal and get a win.”
Despite the growing scrutiny, the former Warriors forward remains encouraged by what he sees beneath the surface, pointing to steady progress in the team’s overall play.
Before every match, the intention has been clear.
“Before every match, the game-plan is to win. From day one, we’ve been trying to win games and we will keep working and working until we get those goals. “Sometimes, where we are, you need to work even harder,” Mwaruwari said.
There is at least a hint of perspective in Bosso’s unbeaten start. The last time they opened a season without defeat in their first six matches was as recently as 2024, proof that resilience is not entirely absent from this side.
However, draws alone will not satisfy the expectations that come with wearing the famous black and white jersey. Mwaruwari has urged calm, reiterating that his project is still taking shape and warning that once it clicks, Highlanders will be a force to reckon with. “Football is a process. I’m happy with what we are doing, slowly but surely. As soon as this machine clicks properly, I think it will cause problems for many teams,” said Mwaruwari.
For now, Highlanders remain a team in limbo, difficult to beat, but equally unable to deliver the decisive blow.
MATCHDAY 6
Sunday
Caps United 2-0 Manica Diamonds, Simba Bhora 0-1 Dynamos
Monday
AGAMA 1-2 MWOS, Chicken Inn 1-0 FC Hunters, FC Platinum 1-0 Bulawayo Chiefs, Scottland 0-0 Highlanders, Triangle 0-1 Hardrock, ZRP Kariba 0-0 TelOne
Yesterday
Herentals 0-1 Ngezi Platinum
