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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HWANGE Football Club are wary of fellow strugglers and league debutants Dongo Sawmill whom they meet in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter at the Colliery Stadium on Sunday.The two sides, together with Buffaloes are the only clubs in the league yet to register a win, six matches on, and pressure is mounting on the coaches, Nation Dube of Hwange, Shadreck “Father” Mugurasave of Dongo Sawmill and Buffaloes’ Joseph Takaringofa.
Despite being at home, Hwange coach Dube says they will never underrate the Rusape based visitors who are not under any pressure unlike them.
“Our supporters are obviously telling themselves that this is manna from heaven for us by virtue that Dongo Sawmill have not won and are also coming from Division One. While that is true, it also remains a fact that we have also not registered a win so the match on Sunday will without any doubt be a very tough one,” said Dube, who is also the Under-23 national team coach.
He said expectations from fans will put his boys under unnecessary pressure but said they were nevertheless ready for the visitors and were eyeing nothing other than three points.
“We will approach the game with caution but we are obviously looking forward to our first set of maximum points,” said the Chipangano gaffer.
The coalminers’ start to this year’s season has been the complete opposite of what they did last season when they shot to the top of the table at this stage, perhaps the reason for the supporters’ impatience.
Set to miss the action on Sunday is midfielder Innocent Mucheneta who picked up an injury in the 0-0 away draw to Chapungu. A number of teams have had players missing matches after playing against Chapungu because of the airmen players’ hard tackles which somehow go unnoticed by referees.
On a good day, Hwange is capable of being ruthless against any team that invades their territory. With battle hardened players like central defenders David Boriwondo, Gerald “Choto” Ndlovu and one of the most versatile right backs in the league, Tonisani “Yeboah” Sibelo, Chipangano are certainly lying at the very long end of the league table and the sooner they extricate themselves from there the better for them.
Dube is aware of that too.
“We know that with the players we have, on any given day we are confident of beating anyone, any day. It’s a must that we shun the relegation zone and it can only happen with a victory,” he told our sister publication, H-Metro on Wednesday.
Evans Rusike, Farai Vimbisai and veteran Gilbert Zulu are some of the forwards at Dube’s disposal.
Chipangano lie third from the bottom of the table with just four points and have scored six times while conceding 10 goals so far, the same number conceded by Caps United and FC Platinum, which is the highest in the league.
On Sunday, backed by their drum beating fans, Hwange are favourites for maximum points over the table anchors who, however, have been playing some exciting football in their debut league but like they say in Hwange’s local language, football is all about scoring.
Online Reporter