adminTobias Mandoreba Hwange Correspondent
HWANGE head coach Nation Dube does not want a repeat of last season when they finished ninth on the log standings to survive relegation on the final day of the marathon. The coal miners open their Castle Lager Premier League season with a home tie against Green Buffaloes. Chipangano have since intensified their pre-season preparations as they seek to improve from their ninth position finish last year. They survived on the last day of the competition with a desperate win over Motor Action at the Colliery Stadium.
A confident Dube, speaking on Wednesday on the sidelines of their training session at their base, said that 2014 would be a better season.
“First of all, let me say that I am very pleased with the progress at training so far and I am very confident to say that like all other teams before a season starts, the aim is to fight all the way to ensure we bring smiles to our supporters. If the boys decide to implement what we are working on during our training I don’t see why we cannot be able to erase those bitter memories of last year when we almost got relegated by claiming the big one at the end of the season,” said a beaming Dube.
The former Hwange midfield maestro’s overflowing confidence is hinged on the promising show by the boys in the pre-season friendlies they have played so far in which they drew 2-2 with Bantu Rovers in Bulawayo last month before scoring victories over fellow Premier League side Chicken Inn 1-0 and Southern Region Division One outfit Mpumalanga 2-0 in a four-team tournament which also involved another Division One team Technosphere in Hwange last weekend.
“We are also in the process of planning for one or two friendlies with some high-profile teams as we continue to sharpen our daggers for a big fight in this year’s campaign,” he said.
Hwange have managed to retain all their players who did duty last season with the sweetest news to Dube being the resumption of training by midfield kingpin Rodwell Chinyengetere who missed the whole of last season with an injury he suffered in a league match in September 2012 against Monomotapa in Harare.
Others who are also training with the coal miners include regulars like national team defender Eric Chipeta, Andrew Tshuma, Farai Vimisai, Nkosana Siwela, Gerald Ndlovu, Simbarashe Jongwe, David Boriwondo, Isaac Masame, Munyaradzi Mungadze, Gilbert Zulu and veteran goalkeeper Timothy Sibanda.
These have been joined by new faces Aleck Marime, Talent Chamboko and Newman Sianchali.
Dube however refused to shed light on the impact the newboys would have in his side but indications are that Marime and Sianchali could solve the strikeforce headaches faced by Dube and his lieutenant Brian Njobvu last season.
Prodigal son Tonisani Sibelo who had jumped ship to join Chicken Inn at the beginning of last season has also traced his roots back to Hwange.
Meanwhile, the junior development thrust by the coalminers intended at grooming players for the senior team is still vibrant after the Division One side Hwange Under-20 team and the Zifa Matabeleland North Division One outfit Hwange Under-17s also resumed training at the same time with Hwange early this year.
Former Chipangano player Mebelo Njekwa, assisted by Edmore Sibanda are still at the helm of the Under-20 side while Never Munkuli is in charge of the Under-17 team.
Online Reporter