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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FORCED into retirement at 26 in 2014, former Highlanders right back Lawson Nkomo has bounced back to football, this time as a junior development coach.
Nkomo hung his boots at the end of 2014 season, having served Highlanders between 2007 and 2013. In his last competitive season, 2014, Nkomo played for former Premiership side Bantu Rovers.
The former wing back who had a cultured right-foot had to hang up his boots because of recurring injuries.
After retirement, he took a sabbatical before bouncing back to the game that gave him fame as a coach.
Nkomo celebrated his year at the ambitious Njube Spurs who finished third in the 2022 season of the Zifa Bulawayo Division Three Soccer League with a Gift Banda Youth Football Tournament win. They beat Vitality FC of Old Lobengula 3-1 in the final of the eight-team Under-17s competition held before New Year.
The Emakhandeni-bred Nkomo is enjoying life in the dugout of Njube Spurs who have been promoted to the Zifa Bulawayo Junior League Serie A after topping all the age groups – Under-11, 13, 15 and 17 in Serie B last year.
“It’s been an exciting challenge being part of this ambitious Njube Spurs project. I joined them at the beginning of 2022 following a long sabbatical having tried coaching at LMC Academy. I’m enjoying every bit at Njube Spurs and what motivates me the most is that I’m contributing to development of talent from a young stage with the hope of churning out stars for tomorrow.
“I’ve settled well at the club and I’m not looking back. I want to build my name as a coach here and capacitate myself with the hope of coaching in the elite league later on,” said Nkomo.
At Njube Spurs, Nkomo is the head coach in charge of all their teams – Under-11, 13, 15, 17 and the Division Three side.
Tendai Gumbo, who has had stints at High Fliers and LMC Academy as well as former Quelaton footballer Kumbirai Chimombe are Nkomo’s assistants at Njube Spurs.
The former Bosso star said he will be enrolling for a Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association (Zisca) Level Two Class.
“I’m working towards being a compliant coach and last year I got my first coaching badge – Level One. I’m going for Level Two this year and by the grace of God I want to do Caf courses because I dream of coaching at an elite stage. I’m grateful for my present gig at Njube Spurs as it is laying a foundation to my coaching career and I’m not looking back,” said Nkomo.
Njube Spurs were founded in 2017 by Trust Koffi Chizunza.
Chizunza is a product of the defunct Amakhosi FC and Njube Sundowns juniors, who went on to have stints with Quelaton, Ajax Hotspurs and FC Windermere.
Just like Nkomo, Chizunza’s career was brought to an abrupt end when he suffered a career threatening injury at FC Windermere where he shared the dressing room with legends Ronald “Gidiza” Sibanda and Dazzy Kapenya.
The 39-year-old Njube-bred footie star took a football sabbatical, following the trek to Johannesburg in pursuit of personal goals before returning home in 2017 to set up his academy and rates Nkomo highly.
“Lawson is good with young footballers and they adore him. He relates well with them and his experience as someone who played in the elite league is coming in handy to the youngsters. I believe he has a bright future as a coach,” said Chizunza. — @ZililoR.
Online Reporter