Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS United president Farai Jere is itching to see the Green Machine finally break a long-dragging jinx spanning 11 years against Highlanders at Barbourfields when his side descend on Bulawayo on Saturday.
The Harare businessman, who has spent over two decades in the trenches with Makepekepe has seen CAPS United finding it hard to beat Bosso in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at their Bulawayo fortress even when they are in flying form like the one they were in back in 2004.
CAPS United are in control of the Premiership race, which they are leading by two points having picked up 19 in eight games.
They face Highlanders, who registered their first win of the season on Wednesday when they beat Chicken Inn 3-1 in a Bulawayo derby at Barbourfields to take their tally to 10 points.
Prior to the win over Chicken Inn, Bosso had drawn all their games.
With that spring in their step, Bosso will welcome Makepekepe on Sunday knowing they will reduce the gap between them and the pacesetters to just six points with a win.
Jere knows just how difficult it is for the Green Machine to pick wins against the Bulawayo giants, but he has belief in Takesure Chiragwi’s men.
He has since promised to increase winning bonuses should they manage to take the full points back to Harare.
“A match like this, a game like this, calls for (improved) incentives to the boys. These are big matches.
“If you look at Highlanders, they have gone eight matches without a loss. That should tell you a lot about that team,” said Jere.
“They’ve got a great coach in Benjani Mwaruwari. It was a matter of time before the goals came. But otherwise, if you look at who is playing the best entertaining game in this country, no one is at the level of Highlanders.
“It’s a very big game. And naturally, like what I’ve always said, when you’re playing against the big teams in the league, we are looking at Highlanders and Dynamos, yes, we are increasing our bonuses.”
Jere said he had conveyed the message to the players at the start of the training week.
“We want our guys to give it their all, we need their A-Game. Yesterday (on Tuesday), I came and addressed them here (at the CAPS United training ground).
“I said, when you go to Barbourfields, you need to actually produce your A-Game. This is a different ball game altogether.
“Highlanders versus CAPS United is a big game. And they were shocked with the statistics which I was telling them. For the past 32 years, we have beaten Highlanders just twice at Barbourfields.
“But look at the generations who played against Highlanders. The big players like Lloyd Chitembwe. I still remember all those battles in the midfield. It’s always a big game and we are not taking it lightly,” he said.
While Jere is promising to add onto the team’s usual US$500 winning bonuses, the Highlanders house hasn’t been quite stable with reports suggesting the players were still owed a lot in allowances.
But the Murehwa West legislator has gathered enough experience in the game to know when not to be swayed by in-house problems from the opposite direction.
“We are not reading much into the reported problems. I, actually, cut the joke with my boys here. I said to them that if Highlanders and Dynamos start telling you that they are having strikes, they have got problems, please don’t read much.
“And look, I told them that Highlanders don’t have a very good record against Chicken Inn, but I can bet my last dollar they are going to win this match (on Wednesday). These are psychological games, and they are very good at doing that.
“Several times, when you start hearing that they are on strike, they are having problems, you know they now want to start winning games.
“I told them, and I said, “I came here to address you because that match is not going to be a small game.” It is going to be a very big game and you are going to be shocked with how it is going to pan out.”
Makepekepe last won a league match against Highlanders at Barbourfields in 2015.
But Jere said the players had promised him that finally the jinx would be broken on Sunday thanks to the incentives he has dangled before the players who want to consolidate their place at the top.
