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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
CHICKEN INN Football Club continued with their pre-season preparations at the Portuguese Sports Club yesterday with the Bulawayo City duo of midfielders Dominic Jaricha (27) and Genius Mutungamiri (23) spotted at the club’s morning training session.
Both players were exceptional for Bulawayo City last season though the club went on to be relegated.
If the two are to put pen to paper at Chicken Inn, they will join their teammate from last season Mpumelelo Bhebhe who has already signed with the Gamecocks.
Interestingly, Bhebhe was Jaricha’s central defensive partner at Bulawayo City after Vincent Moyo had left the municipal side again for Chicken Inn during last year during the mid-season transfer window.
Jaricha, a Highlanders junior product having turned out for Bosso90 can play as a central defender and in the midfield.
Mutungamiri on the other hand is versatile but is more effective in any of the attacking midfield roles. He has been linked with a move to recently promoted Simba Bhora this season.
Calum English-Brown, who joined from relegated Whawha is settling in well if the session yesterday is anything to judge from.
Notable absentees from the Gamecocks session were Moses Jackson (41) and Guide Goddard (34) who appear to have been retained for this coming season. There had been rumours that last season was their last with age catching up with them.
Jackson and Goddard have both been working on acquiring coaching badges.
Chicken Inn have most of their players from last season including the likes of Xolani Ndlovu, Passmore Bernard, Clive Augusto, Tafadzwa Kutinyu, George Majika and Munashe Pini who all trained under the watchful eye of Prince Matore, the new head coach.
Matore was promoted to the position of head coach amid revelations that the 2015 championship winning coach Joey Antipas’ reassignment will be finalised soon.
Matore, a Caf A licence holder, has over the years worked closely with Antipas as his lieutenant. When Antipas joined Chicken Inn at the end of 2013, he brought Matore as his assistant in 2014.
The pair was in charge of the Simbisa Brands-bankrolled side when the Gamecocks won their first ever league title in 2015, which saw them play in the prestigious 2016 Caf Champions League where they were booted out by eventual winners Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the preliminary round.
Antipas and Matore even left Chicken Inn together for South Africa’s AmaZulu in 2016 before returning to the Gamecocks at the beginning of 2018 after parting ways with Usuthu in 2017.
Yesterday, Matore was being assisted by Farai Tawachera who joins from Bulawayo City.
Antipas was not at the training session. — @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter