More new faces at Highlanders

STRIKERS Reason Sibanda, Njabulo “Tshiki” Ngwenya and Brighton “Maninja” Ncube are among those training with Highlanders with the hope of impressing coach Kelvin Kaindu.

Last season Bosso scored the least number of goals in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) season in which they found the target 24 times in 34 matches, their worst strike rate in 33 years.

Against that background, Kaindu is under pressure to plug holes and come up with a team to deliver.

Ngwenya was at relegated Triangle last season while Ncube saw little game time at Chicken Inn. Ngwenya has been training with Bosso since last week.

Bustling Ncube is a product of the Highlanders development teams and has also had a stint at Bantu Rovers before joining the Gamecocks.

His position at Chicken Inn remains unclear.

The other striker, Sibanda, was at Arenel last season where he scored eight goals to help the team gain promotion.

Other faces that have been spotted at the Highlanders training over the last week include central midfielders Mandla Gasela and former Bosso player Brian Jaravaza who had a brilliant season at Arenel.

Gasela and Jaravaza are, however, yet to show face this week.

Central defender Brian Mlotshwa also continues to train with the Bulawayo giants.

Bosso, who were unbeaten in the opening 19 matches, had the fourth worst record in the last 17 games of the season with 18 points and were only better than Cranborne Bullets, Triangle and Bulawayo Chiefs in the second half.

A good start to the season is the reason Highlanders eventually finished in fifth place on the final league standings.

They were unbeaten after 19 games but lost seven times in the second half of the season, dropping 19 points more and conceding 18 goals in 17 games compared to just four in the opening half of the season.

Highlanders managed just four wins in the second half of the season, a poor record only beaten by Triangle and Cranborne Bullets who both won three games and deservingly got relegated.

They were toothless in front of goal and managed just nine goals in 17 matches of the second half, with only Cranborne Bullets doing worse (eight), the only two teams without double digits. – @innocentskizoe.