adminsince returning home in a lively Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match before an appreciative crowd at Barbourfields yesterday.
Former Motor Action midfielder Louis Matawu’s priceless first half header settled the game.
Before the defeat Gumbo had seemingly been invincible and his confidence might also have been high ahead of yesterday’s encounter especially after he had beaten the Bulawayo giants 2-0 in his first game in charge at Mandava Stadium.
The match started with Highlanders showing the zeal to score first, playing as a team and putting men behind the ball.
In the 12th minute Mthulisi Maphosa hacked down pint-sized Graham Ncube just outside the box and the referee, Batsirayi Muchenje, who had a good afternoon, awarded Bosso a free-kick.
Captain Gilbert Banda took it but his pass to Nkomo was wasted.
Six minutes later promising William Munondo got the better of Bruce Tshuma and set up Mernard Mupera, who fumbled a good chance, allowing goalkeeper Arial Sibanda to save the situation.
The home side continued piling on the pressure and it was from one such raid that the goal was orchestrated.
Warriors centre back Daniel Veremu miscued a goal bound effort that resulted in a corner and regular taker Nkomo stepped forward to bring in an in swinger that was headed home by the on-song Matawu.
Had they known that the goal would be the killer punch those celebrations would have been even wilder and louder.
After that goal it was a Highlanders affair as they bombarded the visitors but the second goal eluded Mkhuphali Masuku’s charges.
Perhaps noticing that Highlanders were on the warpath, with his boys showing signs of tiring, Gumbo made a double substitution just before the resumption of the second half.
In came Donald Ngoma and Benjamin Marere for Manondo and Mupera respectively but they too found a no nonsense Bosso defence.
“We did not want to give them any breathing space at all so we decided if we stretched them they would tire easily and tire they did,” said Masuku afterwards.
With the aid of the wind the visitors began the second half the better side but their chief marksman Charles Sibanda, perhaps wanting to do more than what was expected of him, wasted some chances.
In a way he might have succeeded because 10 minutes from the end he blocked a goal bound effort from another second half substitute, Ntokozo Tshuma who had come in for Thabani Kamusoko five minutes earlier.
In the 67th minute Ncube received a through pass from Eric Mudzingwa when he was just on the other side of the centre line and managed to whizz past a number of FC Platinum players only to play a poor final pass.
A minute later Sibanda’s corner kick caused problems for the Highlanders goalie.
The Young Warriors goalminder dropped the ball but, luckily for him, there was no alert player from the visitors.
After being taunted as being nothing but a name, it was the turn of Bosso to hit back with Mausku labelling the Moneybags as an ordinary outfit
“I am proud of my boys’ performance and personally I think FC Platinum players are just ordinary,” said Masuku.
Teams:
Highlanders: A Sibanda, L Nkomo, B Tshuma, G Banda, I Mapuranga, S Munawa, E Mudzingwa, L Matawu, R Kutsanzira (A Tshuma 90th), G Ncube (X Ncube 84th) , V Nzombe
FC Platinum: T Dube, K Banda, Z Ngodzo, D Vheremu, C Sibanda, T Kamusoko (N Tshuma 75th), M Mupera (B Marere 46th), J Ngodzo, M Maphosa, W Manondo (D Ngoma 46th), I Gwandu.
Online Reporter