Mugove Chigada, Zimpapers Sports Hub
OFTEN, Kelvin Kaindu is a good listener.
And for every 10 words spoken to him, he may offer one in return.
He is not a man you can engage and not hit hard rock, unless you know each other well.
But he is an excellent coach who does his talking behind closed doors, in the dressing room, and lets his methods flourish on the pitch.
Take him to the nearest ‘Basilica’ and he will appear a man of the cloth and clothes, still speaking more behind the walls than before them.
Clad in one of his numerous suits, perhaps a record for such style on the touchline in the Premier Soccer League this season, the Zambian mentor seems open to new ideas and continues to evolve.
He now ticks most of the boxes, except one. He is yet to win the Castle Lager Premiership title.
“We have no pressure at all because first position is just a position,” Kaindu says.
“We won’t be calculating any permutations, we just need to win our games.”
The Hardrock coach was speaking ahead of the showdown with MWOS at Chahwanda.
They are five points clear at the top of the Castle Lager Premiership going into this game, something many did not envisage at the start of the season.
Scottland are second on the log with a game in hand, and Kaindu’s charges can simply win all their remaining matches to deliver the title to Kwekwe.
It is, however, easier said than done. But if Hardrock are to keep the momentum, there is little to stop them at present.
For the record, in the past nine games Hardrock have scored 18 goals, losing once to Triangle and winning the other eight.
That they have averaged two goals a game makes them one of the most lethal sides in the league.
This season they have only lost to giants CAPS United, Highlanders, Dynamos, champions Scottland and Triangle.
Hardrock have only failed to score against four league teams this season: twice against Scottland, once against MWOS, FC Platinum, CAPS and Manica Diamonds.
Going into the game against MWOS, if they can make a flying start they could be assured of maximum points.
Hardrock have never lost a game in which they have scored two goals.
The worst they have done after scoring two was a 2-2 draw with Ngezi Platinum, when they had to come from behind.
“In the first round of games we dropped points in such games and currently I’m focusing on
Hardrock more than any other team,” Kaindu says.
The Hardrock coach knows MWOS will not be easy.
While his charges, led by strikers Prince Dube and the PSL’s top scorer Washington Navaya, have been firing from all angles, they will have to dig deep.
Wilson Mensah comes into this game as a real threat for Lloyd Mutasa’s charges.
Supported by the consistent Valentine Katsande, MWOS can be a thorn for any opponent in the league.
But if the fight they produced against Dynamos in the 1-0 win is anything to go by, MWOS could be put to the sword at Hardrock’s fortress.
The experience at Rufaro might have been bittersweet for Kaindu, but it was a necessary act, delivered at the death – a touch of theatre worthy of Sophocles.
At this stage last year he was in the dugout for DeMbare, managed to save them from relegation on the final day and came away with a trophy of sorts.
“In the last 10 minutes at Rufaro we had many chances, hit the crossbar and the post. My boys showed character and were determined to win,” he says.
That character will be needed again against MWOS.”MWOS are an unpredictable opponent. We have to be strong and compact in defence,” he says.
“We want to keep our unbeaten record. We want to keep the momentum we have and use our home advantage.”
Never mind the Zambian’s near misses in 2012 and 2013. This year seems different.
Kaindu, the man of many titles, however, approaches this game having said less.
And at Chahwanda, the full script will be delivered, and it is there that fans may see Hardrock’s brilliance in full display.
