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Ray Bande in MUTARE
AFTER Castle Lager Premiership log leaders Manica Diamonds turned on some sizzling all-round performances in recent weeks that has seen the Gem Boys maintaining their place in the upper echelons of the log table, their chairman Masimba Chihowa thinks his team is now in a test of consistency as it looks forward to reignite the sweet memories of the trailblazing Tanganda of 1993.
After an impressive start to the 2021/2022 Castle Lager Premiership football season, debate has already been sparked on whether this current crop of players at Manica Diamonds, more than two decades later, can snatch a major silverware.
Not until 1993 when Tanganda won the coveted Castle Cup had a Manicaland-based team won a major silverware in domestic football competition of post-Independence era.
Just like the unforgettable “Tan Tan’’ outfit, Manica Diamonds have made an effort to assemble a competitive squad built around players born and raised in the eastern border city of Mutare.
Manica Diamonds are doing all they can to lure the current generation of players who trace their roots to Manicaland, including those already on their books such as Lawrence Masibera, Ticha Mabvura, Pasca Manhanga, Rodrick “Jecha’’ Mufudza, Liberty Chakoroma and Farai Mugumwa.
Manica Diamonds chairman, Chihowa said: “Everything is possible in the game of football. We ended the season in the top five in our debut Premiership season, so I do not see anything that can stop us from attaining a better position than that or even winning the league championship.
“We have made a deliberate stance to lure players that were born and raised in Manicaland because we believe that sense of belonging is needed in order to build a strong fighting spirit.
“Since we started playing in the Premiership, we have had challenges in luring players that were born and raised in Mutare but I am now happy that we have made great strides in that direction. We remain relentless and hope to have many more who can identify with our fans not only in Mutare, but Manicaland as a province.”
It is too early to give Manica Diamonds championship chasing credentials, but it is certainly not impossible for them to eventually win the Castle Lager Premiership marathon.
After all, there are plenty of Premiership matches left to play, so it is unlikely that there will be a secured winner anytime soon.
The Manica Diamonds chairman concurs that his team have to keep winning matches at all costs and improve on their away record.
Losses and draws hurt their chances of hoisting the domestic Premiership title.
Chihowa said winning their first title in their second season in the top-flight league will give Manica Diamonds a huge boost.
“Winning the first title in our second season in the top-flight league will definitely give us a huge boost and it will help brighten our future.
“We also need to work on our away record. We have been solid and resolute when playing in front of our home crowd and we now need to transform that to our away matches. We are doing all that we can to ensure that the technical team and the players get what they deserve to give us good results on the field of play,” said the Chancellor Junior school head
At the moment, their chances of winning the Castle Lager Premiership title are far from obvious, but obviously not impossible.
The main objective for the Gem Boys, according to their chairman, is to simply continue winning matches through scoring more goals and avoid conceding.
In other words, the Gem Boys need to be focused and in top form.
Manica Diamonds play their next Premier Soccer League match on Sunday against Cranborne Bullets away in Harare and then face FC Platinum at home at Sakubva.
Online Reporter