adminRicky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO City FC will tonight hold an awards ceremony at the Small City Hall to reward their players for winning the Southern Region Soccer League title to gain promotion into the Premier Soccer League.
City beat neighbours and former champions Bulawayo Chiefs to the Southern Region League title with two games to spare.
According to the latest council report, the history-making City, who won promotion into the topflight at the first attempt, will also use the awards ceremony as a platform to market the club to potential sponsors. Bulawayo Mayor Martin Moyo will grace the occasion.
“In order to reward the players and the technical team, and at the same time market the team for sponsorship, the Soccer Advisory Board of council is requesting for free use of the Small City Hall for a function on the awards night. The awards ceremony has been set for Saturday 5 December 2015 from around 5PM to 8PM,” said director of housing and community services Isaiah Magagula in the report.
Striker Qinani “Chroma” Sibanda is set to walk away with the club’s top goal scorer award after netting six goals.
Captain Xolisani “Scara” Moyo, who joined the club from PSL side How Mine at the beginning of the year, is the favourite to scoop the Players’ Player of the Year and the Player of the Year accolades.
Moyo was inspirational in City’s campaign as his experience acquired from stints with Chicken Inn and How Mine came in handy in guiding the ambitious municipality bankrolled club to the PSL.
Other players that had a great season at City include the midfield trio of Innocent “Joker” Kutsanzira, Eddie Nkulungo and Humphrey “Muchichwa” Ncube, as well as the promising Trevor Ndlovu.
Nkulungo and Ncube were amongst City’s top scorers, grabbing five goals each, while Kutsanzira was voted into the Southern Region Soccer League’s top 11 players.
City had the most players in the Southern Region League’s Soccer Stars of the Year list, contributing three players, Moyo, Sibanda and Kutsanzira.
Moyo emerged runner-up to eventual winner, Bulawayo Chiefs’ Ishmael Wadi.
City’s coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube landed the Southern Region Coach of the Year accolade.
The ambitious Bulawayo outfit has indicated its desire to remain in the topflight indefinitely and club chairman Jerry Sibanda has also revealed that they would be beefing up their squad before the start of the new season.
City offloaded 18 players last week and will parade players that will form the core of the squad in their maiden PSL season at tonight’s banquet.
Online Reporter