On fire Chirinda wants more

FREE-SCORING Bulawayo Chiefs FC striker Obriel Chirinda has caught up with Manica Diamonds’ Fortune Binzi at eight Castle Lager Premiership goals.

Chirinda and Binzi are now the country’s leading top goal scorers. The former scored his eighth goal of the season on Saturday when Bulawayo Chiefs were edged 2-1 by visiting Herentals.

“It’s all through hard work. I want to thank the support I have been getting from my teammates. It is always good to do well for the club. I hope and pray that it will push me forward. I want to score more for the club,” said Chirinda who a fornight ago became the second player to score a hatrrick this season after he powered Bulawayo Chiefs to a massive 3-0 away victory over Triangle United.

The first player to score a hattrick in the campaign is Binzi in late April when they thumped Premier Soccer League (PSL) newboys Sheasham.
Chirinda’s hattrick followed a brace that he scored for Amakhosi Amahle when they got the better of former Cup Kings, CAPS United.

The stocky and pacey goal poacher has in the process dribbled into hearts of many local football enthusiasts and pundits alike.
In the past week Highlanders head coach Baltemar Brito openly expressed his displeasure at the club’s failure to lure Chirinda to the Bulawayo football giants.

Brito made his remarks at the club’s weekly press conference where he also underscored that they developed a soft spot for the hard running Chirinda last season and it was their hope that this time around the Nguboyenja bred football star was going to join the black and white camp.

“We spoke about bringing in players, we didn’t have the mentality to bring in numbers. When we look for one player, we look at some characteristics that the boy has to come and breathe quality in our game.

Obriel Chirinda is one of the many players that we put pressure for. It is not now that we made that pressure even last season we wanted him because he is one player that we like, is one player who can fit into our game giving us a different dynamic that we don’t have in our game,” Brito was quoted as saying.

The gaffer added: “In the beginning of this month, we were close to bringing him but some bad information emerged. Whether it’s true or not we don’t know. The leaders in the club listened to these people and they did not bring the player. We have seen that they (Bulawayo Chiefs) have changed their coach and the player has started to score. As such, bringing him in becomes harder because they have goals. However, we hope to bring one player, a kind of Chirinda but in getting Chirinda we no longer have hope”

With Bosso communications and marketing officer Nozibelo Maphosa insisting that they are still pursuing Chirinda’s signature, it remains to be seen if Bosso will be able to beat the mid-season transfer window that closes on Monday next weeek.

Highlanders strikers chief among them stocky Stanley Ngala and Lynoth Chikuhwa have so far found it hard to score.
Since the start of the season, Bosso has been largely relying on set pieces for goals and in their game against Manica Diamond, the club’s vice-captain Peter Muduhwa tapped in an Andrew Mbeba freekick to maintain their four points lead on top of the log table-@FungaiMuderere