Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League returnees, Hwange, are going back to their “roots” by recruiting talented players from their surrounding areas in an effort to assemble a squad that will withstand topflight pressure.
The coalminers made a quick return to the topflight by winning the Southern Region Division One League title with ease, having been relegated from the Premiership at the end of the 2017 season.
Hwange coach, Nation Dube, who was brought back at the beginning of the year to get the coalminers back to the Premiership after Bigboy Mawiwi sunk them into the First Division, has started scouting for talent.
Tired of “mercenary” players that dump them at their time of need, Dube said they want to build their base on players drawn from clubs competing in the Zifa Matabeleland North Division Two League as well as the area zone, Wankie Football Association (WAFA).
“We want to complete recruitment and the shape of our squad before we go for the Christmas holidays. What we’ve been doing is holding trials for players within Hwange and surrounding areas. We decided to go back to our Hwange roots so that we give youngsters in our community an opportunity to play in the topflight. Because of logistical challenges like accommodation, we deliberately opened these trials to locals,” said Dube.
“In the past, Hwange used to get talent from teams competing in WAFA like Rufaro Rovers, Giant Killers, Kabwe, Brazil and Raylton, among others. Players from those leagues took pride in playing for Hwange and recruiting from WAFA motivated other youngsters. This is exactly what we are trying to do to motivate these youngsters from the Hwange community and give them hope so that they give their best when playing for Chipangano,” he said.
He said players from outside the coalmining town wishing to join Hwange will have to be exceptionally good.
“What we want is to mix youngsters and experienced guys like Gilbert Zulu, Andrew Chuma and Gerald Ndlovu. I need a playmaker and wingbacks, who can give us another dimension when attacking, as well as a central defender. I want players who will get the guys who are in the team out of their comfort zone by effectively competing for starting places.
“Hopefully, we will be able to unearth gems that will go and become household names in Zimbabwean football. If you look at the last couple of seasons, the major setback that led Hwange to face relegation problems was that we depended on players from outside our community who dumped the team in a time of need. Every season we lost players for free having spent time developing them.”
Hwange used to be a showpiece for players from the coalmining town and surrounding areas, producing stars such as ex-Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns captain Method Mwanjali, Fabian Zulu, Chenjerai Dube who is now ZPC Kariba’s goalkeepers’ coach, Witness Munkuli as well as the FC Platinum pair of Winston Mhango and Gift Mbweti.
Young Warriors’ striker Delic Murimba, who scored a brace for the Under-20 team at the Cosafa Under-20 Championship in Zambia against Botswana, played for Hwange in 2017 before being snapped up by Triangle United.
— @ZililoR
derick.khumalo