admin
Lovemore Dube Sports Editor
HOW Mine FC assistant coach Simba Rusike believes winning the Mbada Diamonds Cup final on Saturday would mark a brilliant debut season for the gold miners. Rusike said the team’s players had given a fair account of themselves and performed beyond expectations in their maiden season in the topflight league.
He said usually when a team is promoted to the Premiership, fighting relegation tended to be the core business but their players had played well to earn themselves respect in Zimbabwean football.
How Mine proved to be giant killers throughout the season, beating Highlanders twice, Dynamos as many times and Caps United once to emerge one of the most talked about and respected clubs in the Castle Lager Premiership.
“The players deserve all that has come their way so far. I am happy for them that they did not come into the league to make up the numbers, they came on board to compete for honours and winning the Mbada Diamonds Cup would be a fitting tribute to all their work during the course of the year,” said the former AmaZulu, Highlanders and Gaborone United striker.
Rusike said they had worked hard and deserved to win the Mbada Cup.
“Yes obviously there is the underdog tag on our necks but we hope we get it right on the day and slay Goliath,” said the former Highlanders captain.
He said on a personal note he was eager to win a piece of silverware as he had gone for almost two decades without winning something tangible in the game.
“As a junior graduating into the first team in 1991, Highlanders were involved in the Independence Cup and Zifa Cup finals. I never got to play but it was good to be part of the squad.
“By the time they won the league championship in 1993 and the BP League Cup in 1994, I was already in Botswana playing for Gaborone United,” said Rusike, who won the league title and the Barclays Cup in that country.
He played in the then Champion of Champions Cup, now the Champions League.
He said as a coach he was just as hungry as the players for success.
“As a coach you are judged by the silverware you win and I am as hungry as the boys to walk up the podium with my colleagues on the technical team. I am happy to work with an experienced coach like Philani Ncube, supportive colleagues Themba Sibanda and Isheunesu Chaka, management has been supportive and the supporters awesome,” said Rusike.
He predicted a difficult cup final derby.
Rusike – a born again Christian – was in the eye of a storm with his technical team recently after candles and some containers with strange liquids were found in the team’s dressing room in the 4-2 semi-final penalty shootout win over Caps United at the National Sports Stadium.
His team has been persistently linked with juju use but Rusike put their fairytale success down to the power of prayer.
He thanked his pastors and fellow congregants at a city Pentecostal church for their moral support.
“I would like to thank the Lord. I am moving in the right path, the Lord is always there for me and Pastor Kandore and my mother MaNkosi for all the support,” Rusike said.
Online Reporter