adminchampions at Barbourfields yesterday.
Mpala had a stint at CAPS United, after returning home from a spell in South Africa, but left the Green Machine during the off-season together with a number of senior players.
A former Bosso forward, Mpala made the biggest impact, of the afternoon yesterday, when he was given a lot of room, amid chaos in the Bulawayo giants’ defensive line, to score the shock winner with just eight minutes of regulation time remaining.
That victory pushed How Mine, who recruited a lot of players who had been deemed to have lost their value in the Premiership because of age, into third place on the Premiership table – level on points with Highlanders.
The miners had to do it the hard way, forced to come from behind, after Beavan Chikaka headed Bosso into an early lead.
Midfielder Peter “Rio” Moyo created space to send in a good cross and Chikaka struck to give Highlanders the advantage.
There was a golden chance for the Bulawayo giants to double that advantage when Milton Ncube freed Masimba Mambare, who had just returned from trials in South Africa, and the forward found himself in a face-to-face situation with the ‘keeper but could not convert from a difficult angle.
How Mine, having survived, gradually eased into the game with another veteran, Mernard Mupera, taking control of the midfield.
Bosso appeared to be paying a huge price for coach Kevin Kaindu’s surprise decision to keep his star midfielder, Mthulisi Maphosa, out of this game and Mupera, another of the old Highlanders’ players in the line-up, took full advantage and began to impose himself.
How Mine got their equaliser at the stroke of half-time when the ageless Hebert Dick headed home.
The miners were the more authoritative team in the second half and, towards the end of the game, they found the winning goal after poor work in the Bosso defence.
Having not lost even one league game at Barbourfields last season, Kaindu and his men have now been beaten twice in their fortress after losses to How Mine and Motor Action.
Online Reporter