Nation Dube welcomes back ‘armed’ technical duo

HWANGE FC head coach Nation Dube is feeling on top of the world following the timely arrival of two members of his technical team Bongani Mafu and Try Ncube on Wednesday from Tanzania ahead of their league tie against FC Platinum that will be played at Colliery Stadium on Sunday.

Mafu and Ncube were in Tanzania together with former Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi who led the country’s senior national women’s team to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil and ex-national team defender and Supersport United’s Kaitano Tembo to attend a Caf A Licence course.

As a result, the Hwange duo missed their team’s two Premiership matches at home to ZPC Kariba as well as Matchday 15’s away clash with Black Rhinos.

The duo has not been sitting on their team’s technical bench during games and as such Dube was alone barking instructions from the touchline.

Mafu and Ncube, just like Highlanders’ Joel Luphahla, Antonio Torres and Madinda Ndlovu were only allowed to join their teams at warm-up as well as half-time, sharing notes with their head coaches during the course of the game.

Dube, a former Hwange coach who had reverted to a technical job at Hwange Colliery Limited, was at the beginning of the year, asked to help the club by sitting on the bench. Seeing that Zifa would not budge on the Caf A requirement he was forced to relinquish his post and start attending training while Mafu sat it out on the terraces.

“I’m happy that our technical team has got a boost following the arrival of coaches Mafu and Ncube from their classes in Tanzania. They arrived on Wednesday which means we had enough time to prepare the team for our game against FC Platinum. We will have more brains to plot against FC Platinum,” said an ecstatic Dube.

He said despite facing the league’s four-time champions, they will take the game just like any other match.

“Yes, we are meeting champions who have something to defend but to us it’s just like any other game. I’m glad we finally managed to win at home when we beat ZPC Kariba and went on to draw against Black Rhinos which should give us more confidence. That home jinx is gone and we are waiting for the FC Platinum game,” said Dube.

Norman Mapeza’s Pure Platinum Play are smarting from a shock 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Yadah Stars. It was a match in which the former national team defender bemoaned time-wasting tactics that were employed by their opponents.

FC Platinum are number five on the log with 25 points, six behind pacesetters Highlanders.

— @FungaiMuderere.