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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS coach Kelvin Kaindu concedes that figures don’t lie but he refuses to read much into them ahead of the Bob90 Super Cup final meeting with old nemesis Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium in Harare tomorrow afternoon. Amahlolanyama make their first trip to the capital after that forgettable 4-0 destruction by Harare City in the run in of the Castle Lager Premiership title last year. The Zambian will be eager to erase those memories with a win, not just over an ordinary side, but reigning league kings, Dynamos, bruised following their early exit in the Orange Caf Champions League.
“They have dominated us. Figures are there for everyone to see but this is a different year, different season and a different Highlanders. We are not reading much into statistics otherwise there will not be any need for us to play them.
“By having the match fulfilled shows that records cannot be relied on as a barometer,” he said.
The two giants will be meeting for the 10th time in cup games since 2007, with the Harare giants having already won seven of their previous nine meetings. One final was played over two legs, the first one ending 1-1 at Barbourfields Stadium before Dynamos posted a 1-0 win in the second leg of the 2008 Champion of Champions Nestle Charity Shield.
Bosso have only won once, 4-3 after penalty shootouts in the 2011 edition of the Independence Cup.
The rest of their seven cup meetings have gone Dynamos’ way, who have also ruthlessly dominated the Bulawayo giants in league matches, winning seven and drawing as many of their 14 meetings that saw them drilling the nets a massive 20 times to Bosso’s seven.
To buttress their superiority, Dynamos have scored 16 times past Highlanders’ goalkeepers in cup games compared to just three goals that Bosso have scored over the same period.
Bosso got their goals through Richard Choruma in the 2007 CBZ FA Cup final, Wellington Sibanda (2008 first leg Champion of Champions Nestle Charity Shield final) and more recently, Beaven Chikaka’s face saver in the first leg of the Bob89 Super Cup last year.
Kaindu lifted his first silverware as coach when Bosso pummelled a confident How Mine 3-0 in the Mbada Diamonds Cup last year.
“We respect Dynamos as a team but not on the field. They have lost to other teams before and there is no reason why we can not beat them,” he said.
On the team’s preparations, Kaindu said everyone worked hard to be included in the team and morale was high.
“We had injury scares on Simon Munawa and Rahman Kutsanzira but they all trained this morning (yesterday).
“I think this game will all be about the boys having belief in themselves and once they have that, anything is possible. It’s work in progress,” he said.
Dynamos, rocked by board and changing room squabbles, have already made their intentions of maintaining their dominance over Highlanders clear with captain Tawanda Muparati telling Chronicle Sport this week that everyone was geared and ready for the challenge.
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