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Ricky Zililo, Sports Reporter
THE festive season is over and it’s back to work for Premiership teams as they begin their 2014 preparations. All Premiership teams in Bulawayo – Highlanders, How Mine, Chicken Inn and league debutantes Bulawayo Chiefs – will be doing physical conditioning of their players.
Bulawayo giants Highlanders, who finished the 2013 season on a high note after clinching the Mbada Diamonds Cup, will this morning be at St Columbus High School, with newly-appointed assistant coach Mark Mathe taking the players through their paces.
Mathe will lead the first part of Bosso’s pre-season training in the absence of head coach Kelvin Kaindu who is in his native Zambia undergoing a high-level Caf A Licence Coaching Course which ends towards the end of the month.
In an interview yesterday, Mathe who replaced Bekithemba Ndlovu, said they are ready to roll.
“We’re starting our training tomorrow at St Columbus High School and we’re looking forward to a good take-off. There is nothing much to talk about besides that everything will be spelt out to the players this morning and we’ll take it from there,” said Mathe.
Highlanders’ off-season signings Welcome “Waroowa” Ndiweni and Khumbulani Banda are expected to lead a host new faces at Bosso’s this morning.
It will be clear this morning as to which players have been retained by the club for the 2014 campaign. Most Highlanders’ players had their contracts running out at the end of last year but the coach was keen on retaining most of the players.
Njabulo “Tshiki” Ncube, Masimba Mambare, Munyaradzi Diya, Milton Ncube, Mthulisi Maphosa, Peter “Rio” Moyo and Bhekimpilo “Bhaka” Ncube are some of the Highlanders’ senior players whose contracts ended on December 31, 2013.
Mambare, Diya, Moyo and Milton will be notable absentees at today’s training as they are with the national team that will compete at the Chan finals in South Africa.
The club welcomes back striker Cleopas “Ballotelli” Dube who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bulawayo Chiefs. Highlanders’ best player in 2013, Bruce Kangwa, is likely to miss the first days of training as he will be on honeymoon with his wife, Amanda Whitney Moyo, whom he wedded on Saturday in Bulawayo.
Vice-captain Eric Mudzingwa, goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda, Lawson Nkomo, Hillary Madzivanyika, national Under-20 striker Mgcini Sibanda and Knox Mutizwa are expected to be part of today’s programme.
While Highlanders will be busy with their first training session, Zimbabwe’s Caf Orange Confederation Cup representatives How Mine will start their pre-season with a Cooper test at Luveve Stadium.
The 2013 Mbada Diamonds Cup losing finalists who finished the Premiership season on position seven have acquired 12 players to bolster their squad.
How Mine coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube said he expects all the players he registered for the continental showpiece to report for duty.
“We’re starting with a fitness test and I expect all the players that we registered to be in. We don’t have time to waste because we are starting our season early with our first game of the Caf Orange Confederation Cup on the first weekend of February. So, if you look at it we’ve less than a month to get our players ready for competition,” Ncube said.
They will host Chuoni FC of Zanzibar in the first leg of the preliminary round of the competition next month at Barbourfields Stadium.
How Mine have come up with a relatively strong squad for the 2014 Orange Caf Confederation Cup after roping in Buffaloes’ Wonder Sithole as well as the pair of Caps United and Dynamos defenders George Magariro and Morris Kadzola respectively.
The Metallon Gold-sponsored outfit have also snapped up ex-Monomotapa forward Kudakwashe Musharu, Harare City’s Tendai Ngulube, and Nicholas Alifandika from relegated Black Mambas.
Aces Academy goalkeeper Donovan Benard, who was with the Young Warriors at the Lesotho Cosafa Youth Championships last month, Caps United’s Marvel Samaneka, Gunners’ James Chitereki, Black Rhinos’ Blessing Sande and Edmore Muzanenhamo from Zifa Southern Region Division One side Ntabazinduna Prison are some of the new recruits at How Mine.
Ncube has retained goalkeepers Ephraim Mazarura and Nonjabulo Dube, right back Brighton Dube, Terrence Majo, Dick, Nyasha Mukumbi, Gilbert Banda, midfielder Menard Mupera who has been reportedly considering retiring, Xolisani Moyo, Warren Dube, Timothy January, Thembani “Smaller” Masuku, Donald Chiringa, Eddie Nkulungo, Simba Sithole and Qinani “Chroma” Sibanda.
Meanwhile, Chicken Inn and Bulawayo Chiefs start their pre-season training tomorrow while Hwange are set to begin their training on tomorrow.
Online Reporter