Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
THE Chibuku Super Cup could not have come at a more important time for Highlanders and Chicken Inn.
The two Bulawayo giants will lock horns at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday, both carrying the scars of Munhumutapa Cup disappointment and desperate for a response.
Highlanders were dumped out by Southerock while Chicken Inn’s campaign ended after they were held to a goalless draw by Ngezi Platinum Stars before losing 5-4 on penalties.
Now the two wounded giants meet in the Chibuku Super Cup first round, with only one able to walk away with a place in the next round.
It is a derby, a cup tie and, perhaps most importantly, a chance for redemption. For Highlanders coach Benjani Mwaruwari, the Chibuku Super Cup presents an opportunity to change the mood around his side after another painful setback.
When Mwaruwari took charge, his league target was clear, keep Highlanders well away from the relegation battle that had threatened the club last season.
He has managed to steer Bosso towards safety and is now just three points away from the 40-point mark which should guarantee their survival.
That could allow the focus to shift towards loftier ambitions, with a top-eight finish still possible and even a top-four place not completely beyond reach.
But the journey has been bumpy.
Mwaruwari has had to negotiate player strikes, instability within the club and the devastating loss of Highlanders chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Fiso Siziba and treasurer Nkani Khoza in a tragic road accident.
Then came the Blackrock setback.
The Munhumutapa Cup was supposed to provide another avenue for Bosso to chase silverware, but instead Highlanders suffered one of the competition’s biggest shocks.
There is no opportunity to correct that result now.
The Chibuku Super Cup offers the next hope of redemption for the club to win something for supporters.
And standing in their way are neighbours Chicken Inn, who will also be desperate to erase the disappointment of their own Munhumutapa Cup exit.
Chicken Inn were unable to find a way past Ngezi Platinum over 90 minutes, with the match ending goalless before the platinum miners prevailed 5-4 in the shootout.
For the Gamecocks, Sunday is therefore another chance to keep their cup ambitions alive.
For Highlanders, it is equally about restoring pride.
This is a Bulawayo derby and as such there will be much more at stake than simple progression.
This is a fixture where form and statistics can quickly become irrelevant. And with both clubs arriving after cup disappointment, neither will want to suffer another early knockout.Barbourfields is expected to provide the perfect setting for the battle.
The rivalry will then continue almost immediately.
Highlanders and Chicken Inn meet again on Wednesday in a league fixture, meaning Sunday’s encounter could provide a psychological advantage ahead of the second derby.
Victory on Sunday would not only put one side into the next round but could also inject badly needed momentum into the league game.
For Highlanders, the Chibuku Super Cup is particularly significant.
The Munhumutapa dream is gone while the league campaign has moved beyond a title challenge. But survival is almost secured, and there is still enough time to fight for a respectable league finish. More importantly, there remains a cup to win.
That makes Sunday’s derby a potential turning point for Mwaruwari and his men. The season has delivered setback after setback.
Now Highlanders have another chance to respond. Chicken Inn will be thinking exactly the same.
