Chuoni promise to turn tables on How Mine

Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
CHUONI FC have promised fireworks in their return leg clash with How Mine of Zimbabwe in the Orange Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round in Unguja, Zanzibar on Saturday.Despite losing by four goals to nil, the visitors who leave Bulawayo this morning said they would up their game and go for what appears mission “impossible.”

Head of delegation Salim Ally Juma and coach Ali Abdalla Hassan said it would not be smooth sailing to the next round for the Matabeleland South Premiership outfit, How Mine.

The coach said they had hoped to do well in their first African safari match but a poor pitch and inexperience had put paid to their hopes.
Abdalla said his team was fairly young with some of the players having risen through the club’s ranks. The team has been in existence for a decade and started off as juniors before the boys graduated through all the stages to finish second in their country’s league which is sponsored by Tanzania Breweries Limited’s non-alcoholic division Grand Malt last year.

“We noted our mistakes, we have started working on that. Today we have given our boys time off to sight-see around Bulawayo. But when we get back home we will perfect our act and fight for a positive result, we hope we can be able to turn the score on How Mine and proceed to the next stage,” said Abdalla yesterday morning.

He said they would begin preparations for the second leg tomorrow.
“We will begin preparations on Tuesday because of the way we are travelling, it does not help to bemoan the little time we will have up to Saturday to correct our mistakes, we have to make the best out of the available time to focus and forge ahead,” said the coach of the club which has three national team players Saleh Hamad, Hussein Rashid and Yussuf Molid.

Juma, a member of the Zanzibar Football Association said he was happy with the hospitality accorded to them in Zimbabwe. How Mine coach, Philani Ncube praised his lads for coming out with four goals from the match. He said with better co-ordination the club could have scored more goals.

How Mine fluffed a glut of chances especially in the first half. New signing Kudakwashe Musharu showed glimpses that he could be among the big names of 2014 with a good performance, bagging a brace in his debut for the gold miners. He was impressive as a lone striker upfront terrorising the defence, controlling the ball and laying it back to midfield.

Warren Dube and captain Mernard Mupera scored the other two goals. If Saturday’s performance in what looks like a new How Mine outfit is anything to by, then they will be a hard nut to crack as regulars Brighton Dube, Gilbert Banda and Herbert Dick did not play.

There seems to be depth in their camp with Benjamin Marere and Heritein Masuku among the experienced players though not registered for the Confederation Cup.

Banda and Dube were not part of the team as they do not have passports while Dick sat it out on the bench. How Mine’s 4-0 mauling of Chuoni was the highest score by a city club in African club competition. The previous best was a 3-0 win by Highlanders over Sable de Batie in 2000 which was however overturned in the second leading to a penalty shootout 6-7 loss by probably the strongest Highlanders side in the last 20 years which featured greats like Thabani Masawi, Zenzo Moyo, Thulani Ncube, Blessing Gumiso, Noel Kaseke, Mamba Chisoni and Siza Khoza.