adminTobias Mandoreba Hwange Correspondent
HWANGE Ladies’ Football Club will be seeking their first win in the just commenced Zimbabwe Women Super league when they face highly fancied Inline Academy at Sikhulile Secondary School grounds at Lobengula in Bulawayo this afternoon. The team started on a promising note when they drew with Burrow Jets in Bulawayo before stumbling at home in a 2-1 loss to Bindura based Auckland Queens at No 1 Old ground last weekend.
The team’s head coach Weekly Mwale knows the huge task at hand against Inline Academy who were recently crowned NetOne Charity Shield champions, but is hopeful the girls can match their opponents and bring back maximum points to Hwange.
“I respect the team as they have lots of experience but we will fight very hard to garner our first win. The girls are raring to go and from the training we have had, I am sure we will match Inline Academy and get a positive result.
The other positive is that I boast of a young squad averaging 18 years and these girls want to prove themselves on the big stage,” said Mwale after the team’s training session at No 1 Old Ground on Thursday afternoon.
Mwale’s sentiments were echoed by a highly confident team manager Simayedwa Utete who was also monitoring the team as they went through their paces.
“I have lots of confidence in these girls who I believe have learnt from their mistakes from that loss at home. It’s their first year in the league but I can assure you that we are going to leave a huge impact this season. We have the ammunition at our disposal to shock the highly fancied Inline Academy in front of their fans,” she said.
Hwange Ladies FC will bank on the heroics of goalkeeper and captain Pamela Mhlanga, Nomazulu Tshuma, Siqinisiwe Ndlovu, Bhokani “Bongo” Sibanda and Simelwenkosi Shoko for glory in Bulawayo today.
The team got promotion into the top flight league at the end of last year after clinching the Southern Region title in a clean sweep of outright wins throughout to end at 42 points from 14 games.
Mwale, a former Chipangano gaffer and assistant coach in the Zimbabwe National Soccer Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 teams is on record as saying he has no intention of returning to men’s football as he has seen it all and is now ready to “conquer” in the new domain of women football.
Probable Hwange Ladies FC starting line up
Pamela Mhlanga; Siqiniswe Ndlovu; Patience Ndlovu; Moreblessing Sibanda; Faith Munsaka; Colleta Khumalo; Nomazulu Tshuma; Prudence Moyo; Happiness Nkomo; Bhokani Sibanda; Simelwenkosi Shoko
Online Reporter