Online Reporter
Tongai Mashonga, [email protected]
THE streets of Kwekwe are still buzzing from a six-goal demolition job.
Inside the Hardrock FC camp, the mood is celebratory but Kelvin Kaindu is a worried man.
After watching his side become the first team to score six goals in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (CLPSL) match this season, a ruthless 6-1 thumping of Hunters FC at Chahwanda, surprisingly Kaindu is worried.
The Hardrock gaffer has poured cold water on the hype. His eyes are fixed on a different kind of danger, the dreaded “new coach bounce”.
Hardrock lockhorns with TelOne FC in CLPSL matchday 11 in their next Premiership tie at Ascot on Saturday.
“It’s a difficult game and it’s almost a derby,” Kaindu said ahead of Saturday’s match.
“They have got a new coach. Most of the time, players want to play for the coach the first time. It’s not going to be easy.”
Kaindu’s fear isn’t paranoia. It’s experience.
On matchday nine, Hardrock rolled into Chisumbanje at Green Fuel Arena expecting to fill their boots against a Manica Diamonds side in total chaos. The Gem Boys had just parted ways with their head coach, players were boycotting training sessions demanding their dues and the squad only left Mutare hours before kick-off, forcing a 30-minute match delay.
Three points looked banked for the hosts before a ball was kicked.
Ninety minutes later, the gold miners trudged off frustrated after a goalless stalemate. They huffed, they puffed, but could not hit the back of the net against a team that barely trained.
That is where Kaindu’s fears originate from.
“Looking at what we did against Hunters, if we can replicate it in the coming games, it can be better for us,” the Zambian tactician admitted.
“But our only concern is to work on our defence. We have conceded soft goals.”
WiFi boys finally connect
TelOne, the “Wifi Boys”, picked the perfect time to find their signal.
Just days after parting ways with coach Herbert Maruwa, they floored Triangle United 1-0 at Gibbo on Sunday to register their first league win of the campaign. The victory, ground out under interim head coach Charles Mutero, has ignited hopes of revival from the relegation mire.
And the timing gets worse for Hardrock.
TelOne have appointed Saul Chaminuka.
That means Saturday’s derby could be an audition, and Kaindu knows what that does to players as derbies are not determined by the ingenuity of the coaches but players’ own fighting qualities for bragging rights.
Despite failing to grind positive results, TelOne have been playing well. The Triangle win might be the spark they needed to turn pretty football into points.
Makunike magic lights up Chahwanda
If there was a silver lining from the Hunters massacre, it was Junior Makunike.
Handed his first start by the revered gaffer, the midfield dynamo did not disappoint. Makunike netted a brace at a time his side needed the upper hand in the game, earning rave reviews from Kaindu after the final whistle.
His movement was sharp, his finishing clinical, and his work rate relentless.
“Junior took his chance,” Kaindu said. “That’s what we demand. When the door opens, you walk through it.”
The Miners have already mined their first 20 points in the Premier Soccer League, sitting second on the PSL log table with 21 points.
From pre-season relegation tips to top-half gatecrashers, Kaindu’s men have turned Chahwanda into a fortress with their high press and vertical football.
Hardrock will arrive at Ascot, fresh from sticking six past Hunters.
TelOne are the wounded animal, finally off the mark and sniffing a “new coach bounce”.
