H’landers’ hour of reckoning

LACKLUSTRE Highlanders face a stern test when they host Castle Lager Premier Soccer League log anchors Dongo Sawmills at Barbourfields Stadium this afternoon in a match which Bosso technical director, Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu described as “tough”.
Bosso are having one of their worst performances in recent years and are aware that they need nothing short of victory to ease relegation worries.

Highlanders’ uninspiring showing this season has continued unabated despite the firing of former head coach Bongani Mafu and his technical department, who was replaced by Amini Soma-Phiri and Zulu. The former champions have been a pale shadow of the once mighty Bosso juggernaut while the Bulawayo giants’ feared fortress of Barbourfields has been reduced to a playground for visiting teams.

The visiting teams, who have come in all shapes and sizes, have bossed the home-side around, and it has become an agony for Highlanders fans who, however will flock to Emagumeni to watch another potentially pathetic display from the boys.

Despite losing two of the three games they have been in charge, Zulu and others are upbeat about the team’s chances of victory this afternoon. Zulu said the players were coping well at training and that that could transform into good fortunes in their matches.

“If you look at the match against Caps you will realise the players managed to recover after we had been scored first but when they (Caps) scored again they failed to raise their game and instead their play got worse resulting in the third goal being scored. We should be able to fight on till the end and we have been psyching up the players to rise to the occasion because we are in a precarious position,” he said.

A lack of mobility in the midfield has seen Bosso unable to win battles in the middle of the park and supply adequate balls to strikers while on some occasions the forwards have been found wanting. Bosso has had to resort to an unfamiliar type of play that has them pumping the ball upfront instead of the passing game that had become the hallmark of Highlanders’ pleasing style of play.

Although Bosso has one of the top PSL scorers in its ranks in the form of Knox Mutizwa, the player’s efforts have not been complemented by his teammates. Despite having anchored the log from the start of the season and having accumulated only 18 points in 24 matches, Rusape-based Dongo Sawmills feel they are still in with a chance to survive the chop. Club owner Francis Dongo told our Mutare Bureau that his team will fight to the bitter end.

“I think mathematically we still have a chance to survive and we’ll accordingly fight to the bitter end. We can’t afford to just throw in the towel before it is game over. I’m quite aware that our remaining fixtures are not that easy but that’s the nature of the game. One will never have easy fixtures especially at this stage of the season. We’ll give it our best shot and try to ensure that Rusape enjoys Premiership football once again next season,” said Dongo.

At the Colliery, resurgent coal miners Hwange welcome airmen Chapungu in a mid-table that will have a bearing on the top eight while in Harare Dynamos would be seeking to continue on their path to retaining the PSL championship but an inform Harare City stand in their way and could put the spanner in the works.