admin
Ngqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
HIGHLANDERS coach, Erol Akbay will be out to prove a point when his side visits the Colliery Stadium this afternoon for a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash against Hwange. The Dutchman took over the reins with high expectations from the club’s family, despite an unconvincing pre-season. However, when he finally puts his feet on the PSL pedal this afternoon the Dutchman can as well endear himself to the Bosso’s hard to please fans by collecting maximum points in the opening fixture.
Bosso’s performance during the ZNA Charity Shield was unimpressive as the team seemed disjointed with players failing to string more than five passes before losing the ball.
Although they won both matches against Chicken Inn and FC Platinum on penalties; fans left the stadium with more questions than answers on whether their illustrious team was going to fare well in 2016.
Lack of creativity in the midfield seemed to be the team’s Achilles heel as strikers were starved of balls upfront, while there was no one playing the anchor man’s role effectively leading to the ball being pumped forward instead of building up from the back, Bosso’s usual type of play.
Akbay was, however, upbeat about his team’s chances saying the players were now grasping his style of play with only a few things to work on. The gaffer said the team would now be building from the back as a style of play but it is yet to be seen whether he will stick to this line of thought or he will melt as the heat increases.
The Highlanders mentor said they were ready for the 2016 campaign and he was happy with progress at training.
“We have managed to do a lot of progress at training and while we failed to score during our friendly matches against the teams from the lower division, I think we managed to achieve our aims at coming up with combinations. For me scoring was not part of those aims,” he said. Really?
“My players now know what is expected from them and they know if I put them in a certain position they have to play in a certain way,” he said.
Akbay said while he did not know other teams’ style of play he was not concerned about it as he would not be forced to change tactics to suit another team.
While Hwange have had predatory instincts when playing at the Colliery with few teams coming out unscathed, last year they lost 4-2 to Highlanders and also lost the return fixture at BF. Financial challenges have seen both teams remaining largely unchanged from those of last season with few additions from their junior ranks.
Hwange were dealt a blow when their coach, Nation Dube was suspended over match-fixing allegations and Zifa asked the club to set him aside while waiting for the judgment. However, stand in coach, Mebelo Njekwa is confident of a bright start to the Premiership.
“As a team we’ve sharpened our daggers and I’m highly confident that we’ll take Highlanders head on and make a bright start to the season as we seek to ensure that we make a lasting impression this year,’’ Njekwa told our sister paper, The Chronicle.
“We’ve selected a 27-member squad which includes four junior players and these boys have demonstrated lots of zeal to bring results and with the way things were going during the pre-season workouts, I’m certain the coal embers will blaze hot and engulf opponents starting with Highlanders. The other positive note is that we didn’t lose a lot of players during the off season hence the few incoming signings will easily gel into the squad to produce a formidable unit which, without doubt, can surprise everyone during this campaign.”
Fixtures
Hwange v Highlanders (Colliery), Caps United v Chapungu (NSS), Mutare City v Ngezi Platinum (Sakubva), Triangle v Harare City (Gibbo)
Bongani Ndlovu