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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
WARRIORS star Jordan Zemura can’t be talking too much.
He is focusing and meditating before the match.
That’s what he could only tell The Herald when contacted yesterday.
He can’t be faltered either.
This is arguably the biggest game he has ever faced in his short club football career.
And it could turn out to be a historic night for the Zimbabwean as well.
His English Championship football side AFC Bournemouth troop into battle against Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium tonight knowing fully they may come out of it as part of the English Premiership cast for next season.
Destiny is firmly in their own hands.
And Zemura, a key part of the puzzle, has his eyes fixed on the objective.
Handed his professional debut in the 2021-2022 opener against West Bromwich Albion only as an afterthought due to the fact that Jack Stacey had pulled a muscle days earlier, Zemura has grown to become an important figure in the Cherries’ push for English Premier League return.
He has never put his foot off the pedal since that stalemate against West Brom with the Warriors utility player now one of those expected to provide the magical touch tonight.
What’s interesting is the fact that second-placed Bournemouth are facing a team who poses the biggest threat to their automatic promotion chances.
Scott Parker’s men are three points ahead of the two-time UEFA Champions League winners with two games remaining.
They will seal promotion back into the English top-flight at the second attempt with a win tonight.
But Zemura and his teammates will have to bring their A Game into this fixture given the Tricky Trees’ astounding recent form.
The Steve Cooper’s charges have won nine of their last 10 games and they are one of the two best performing teams in the division over the past two months.
They have kept six clean sheets in those 10 games and Parker’s team are aware of the need to summon their best energies in the attacking third.
And in a way, this is the night which is tailor made for Zemura to shine.
Not so fortunate in terms of suffering injuries, having been hampered thrice this season, Zemura was three weeks ago almost ruled out for the rest of the season.
Even the 22-year-old had literally surrendered to fate after that ankle knock as initial reports suggested he would play no further part in the promotion run-in.
But once scans suggested no big deal of an injury on that part, the Zimbabwean was up again and despite missing two matches, he was back in the fold in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Blackburn.
He played a blinder too, getting over 65 percent rating.
Zemura has scored three goals for his team this season and has also been involved in key goal providing moments for his teammates.
But it is tonight’s match that will most likely determine whether the Cherries will have to do it the hard-play-offs way or they are back into the English Premier League on automatic ticket.
So much is at stake for the Dorset side and for Zemura who, if Bournemouth win, would have helped the team up in his full professional debut season.
Zemura was there last season when the Cherries failed to qualify via play-offs but he was a reserve player.
He will become the first Zimbabwean to help an English Championship team seal English Premier League qualification, having played more than 30 games for the cause.
And his brief talk doesn’t mean nervousness too.
He is like that, a man of few words that weigh dozens of kilogrammes.
“I am trying to meditate and focus. I can’t talk too much. This is a big game that means big things,” he said yesterday.
Should Bournemouth lose tonight, they will drop to third due to an inferior goal difference before they face play-off chasing Millwall on Saturday.
Their promotion rivals Nottingham Forest will conclude their marathon against Hull City.
Fulham have already been promoted but Zemura’s side have an outside chance of even landing the crown should the Cottagers lose both their remaining matches while Bournemouth win both theirs.
Online Reporter