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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS’ dressing room resembled a casualty ward yesterday ahead of their Independence Cup semi-final tie against FC Platinum at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow with four key players likely to miss the tie due to injuries.The 30th Independence Cup tournament roars into life in Bulawayo and Harare with uncertainty also hovering over the availability of Dynamos hardman Partson Jaure who was slapped with a seven-match ban last year for violent conduct during DeMbare’s crucial league encounter against Highlanders at Emagumeni.
The disciplinary committee handed him a ban for the first seven official Premiership matches and yesterday the PSL referred enquiries to Zifa, the organisers of the cup but their spokesman Xolisani Gwesela could not give a satisfactory answer.
The PSL is on record saying the Uhuru Cup marks the official start of the 2014 Premiership season.
DeMbare play in the other semi-final against Harare City.
Highlanders’ assistant coach Mark “Duvillard” Mathe was yesterday fretting over the availability of vice skipper Erick Mudzingwa, Milton Ncube, Peter Moyo and Rahman Kutsanzira. The quartet is nursing different injuries with Mathe yesterday saying their inclusion in the final team to face the platinum miners was uncertain.
“Their inclusion in the team is really not certain at the moment although our medical personnel are monitoring them closely,” said Mathe.
He will be in charge of the team in the absence of head coach Kelvin Kaindu who has a Uefa B licence lecture in the United Kingdom on Monday. Despite the possibility of losing the four players, he remained confident of a positive outing against the miners, adding that morale in the team was high. While the generality of the Highlanders family has been uneasy over the team’s three losses on the trot so far, Mathe had a different view.
“Confidence is still there and I think the losses were a rude awakening to the boys that there are strong teams out there and no one should be taken for granted,” said Mathe who led the team to two straight wins, winning 2-1 over Harare City in the Bob90 semi-final and 1-0 over their opponents tomorrow in a friendly match. He does not want to take credit for the results saying whatever happens in the Highlanders dressing room is done with full consultations between him and Kaindu.
“I would say it’s just pub talk that those victories are mine. I am in constant touch with the head coach. We agree on any system to use or on the players to start with. It’s a team effort,” said Mathe.
If Mudzingwa fails to make it, Mathe might throw in gangly Dumisani “Fazo” Ndlovu to the right back position with Felix “Phil Jones” Chindungwe partnering the ever committed but ageing skipper Innocent “Msholozi” Mapuranga. FC Platinum coach Lloyd Mutasa said this week that the match will prove who is who between the two clubs.
“It’s probably a time when we would like to see who is who between the two clubs. We have played them twice already losing and winning a match each,” said Mutasa.
Mutasa said he was looking forward to a good start to the season but was also aware that all the four clubs in the cup were giants in their own right and were looking forward to lifting the Uhuru Cup.
“Highlanders is a giant but so are all the other clubs in this cup and I know we all want to lift the silverware,” said Mutasa.
Previous Independence Cup winners;
Dynamos (1983, 1984, 1990, 1995, 2004, 2010, 2013)
Highlanders (1986, 1988, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2011)
Zimbabwe Saints (1989, 1998)
Caps United (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997)
AmaZulu (1999)
Motor Action (2005)
Masvingo United (2006, 2007)
Shooting Stars (2009)
Njube Sundowns (2009)
FC Platinum (2012).
Online Reporter