adminYesteryear Greats with Lovemore Dube
HIGHLANDERS FC legend Peter “Oxo” Nkomo believes his association with the country’s best two goalkeepers earlier in his career is the reason why he rose to fame.
In his teens, Nkomo had the chance to work with Bruce Grobbelaar at Highlanders and Japhet M’parutsa in the 1980 Olympic team. He was a one club player in all his 20 years as a goalkeeper and is recommended within the Highlanders family for his allegiance and service which was second to none.
He describes Grobbelaar and M’parutsa as having been workaholics who were not prepared to settle for second best.
He also speaks highly of Silas Ndlovu, Bobby Clark and Cosmas Zulu for pushing him beyond the limit in their quest to get the best out of him.
Sunday News’ Lovemore Dube (LD) speaks to Peter Nkomo (PN) about his career.
LD: Captain Oxo, it’s been a long time bro. Where have you been hibernating?
PN: I am still around Dube, and itching to return to the field and put my decades and goalkeepers training to good use and groom the next national team goalkeepers.
LD: That’s cool. Tell us about your early days in the game.
PN: I was born in Bulawayo and went to Lozikeyi Primary School. I joined Highlanders from the Under-6 age-group which was coached by Mackenzie Sibanda and Mbawulo and rose through the ranks until I made my break into the first team in 1977.
LD: Who were your boyhood heroes in goalkeeping?
PN: Undoubtedly Bruce Grobbelaar, he pushed me to the top with Ananias Dube in 1975 and 1976. I lived under their shadows, trained hard until I got my break when Bruce left for Durban Callies and Ananias Dube for Olympics.
LD: Any notables from the juniors you played along with?
PN: Jabulani Mbambo, the Matabeleland South provincial registrar, Reuben Tsengwa and the late Danisa Phiri. Later on I had to contend with competition from Smart Moyo and George Moyo to be in the top pecking order before they went to Zambia with Mbambo to join Zipra (liberation war).
LD: Living in the shadows of top goalies like Ananias and Bruce was going to be a frustrating experience, how did you cope with that?
PN: The two and our coach Silas Ndlovu were very encouraging and the senior players supportive too. They would say to me I should hold on even in the face of hard shots at training as a small boy at training. Bruce who was already a national star would come home ku S-Square in Mzilikazi to pick me up for extra training at Barbourfields Stadium.
LD: How did your break into the first team come about?
PN: Because of the split to form Olympics, Ananias left and I became the first choice goalkeeper but I had to contend with the competition of Yonah Malunga later.
LD: Any memorable moments in your first season as club Number One.
PN: That was in 1977 in the South Zone Soccer League. We won the championship. It gave me self-belief and had veterans in the form of Billy Sibanda, Lawrence Phiri, the late Majuta Mpofu, Tennyson Mloyi and late Tymon Mabaleka all supportive.
LD: You must have been a small boy still in his teens facing fiery forwards like Philemon Muriyengwe and Mactavish Dube of Gwanda Ramblers, the Black Horrors trio of Grey Mkandawire Ncube, Lemmy Mnenekwa and Onias Musan.
PN: Those were strikers who could pack shots from a distance or outpace defenders and shoot at goal. I feared them and there was also Alfred Ngedla Phiri and Francis Sikhosana of Black Chiefs too. At first in 1977 while we were in the South Zone League fans would say “take out that kid.” That spurred me on to rise to it and prove them wrong as I gained more confidence in my goalkeeping as the season wore on. Highlanders won several tournaments to boost my confidence between 1977 and 1978. One of my most memorable games was when we beat Old Miltonians 2-1 in a cup game and how we had kept at bay the likes of Tito Paketh and David Phiri.
LD: What was the remuneration like then and the highest you received?
PN: I remember pocketing about $25 for a win. We played for the love of the game and club. The highest must have been over Z$300 in the 1990s but for our generations football did not pay, it was purely for fun and the pride associated with the Brand Highlanders.
LD: Who were your most difficulty opponents back then?
PN: Old Miltonians with the Boonzaier brothers, Tito Paketh and David Phiri, Horrors, Black Chiefs, Go Beer Rovers and Horrors.
LD: What did the formation of the National Professional Soccer League mean to you in 1979?
PN: It meant we would compete with big clubs like Gweru United, Hippo Valley, Zisco, Hwange and Zimbabwe Saints and my game could get a lift up so that I follow the likes of Ebson “Sugar” Muguyo, Max Tshuma, Douglas Maneto, Shadreck Ngwenya and Musana who were playing in South Africa. I was also impressed with the razz mataz associated with visiting South African clubs when they toured here.
LD: As you may recall the 1979 national league was split into two with you guys in the Southern Region, 1980 brought about one national league, what are your memories about that year.
PN: It was a year of reckoning for me and Highlanders at the top level. We beat Rio Tinto 4-0 to win the Chibuku Trophy and Dynamos 3-2 in the first ever Heroes Plate. It was good rubbing shoulders with big guys of local football, Dynamos, Zimbabwe Saints, Caps United and Hwange.
LD: Following the boycott of the 1980 Olympics by the Western bloc, Zimbabwe was invited to fill in the slots and you made it into that team. How did it feel like to be among the pioneers as we had previously had our own Black brothers Cyprian Tseriwa (1960), Mathias Kanda and Rabson Murombe (1964) competiting at that level?
PN: It was a great honour. A dream to play international football had been realised at long last and its something that I have lived to cherish. I was in a class of talented youngsters who included Sebastian Chikwature, Stix M’tizwa, Joel Shambo, Stanley Ndunduma, Tapiwa Mudyambanje, Toendepi Shaky Nyathi, David Zulu, Archieford Chimutanda and Rainos Mapfumo and Paul Moyo was among the coaches. It was an eye opener that playing in the world stage was possible. I must have played about two matches with the rest going to M’parutsa a very good goalkeeper of our time.
LD: You became a 4×4 Brigade against Caps United in the Rothmans Shield and Zifa Cups of the early 1980s, what would go wrong?
PN: That was a sleeking passing side with young dynamic players, the Shambos, Ndundumas, M’tizwas, Shaky Tauro and Tobias Moyo, we would just collapse. We would fail to contain them in midfield and our defence would collapse.
LD: What do you think would have been the case had Doughtie Sithole stayed on to partner the mercurial Madinda Ndlovu, dribbling wizard Tanny Banda and speed merchant Morgan Phiri?
PN: We would have buried all our opponents.
LD: The 1983 saga when you were nearly relegated, what happened?
PN: Our aging players were retired or had already retired. I am talking of Billy Sibanda, Lawrence Phiri, Josiah Nxumalo, Tymon Mabaleka, Majuta Mpofu to mention some of them. The youngsters found the weight of expectation too heavy. But coach Bobby Clark and Cosmas Zulu could not be deterred, they gave us the self-belief and confidence especially to the boys who came from the juniors that after all it was possible and we began clobbering the teams by high margin for a strong finish. In 1984 the same team won the Chibuku Trophy beating Dynamos 2-1 with goals coming from Madinda and Willard Khumalo. We survived because of people like Madinda who pushed everyone in the team to rise to it and he had so much to lose being in national teams.
LD: You had good runs up to 1988 winning all silverware on the market except the league title, what was the cornerstone of those results?
PN: Team work, unity. We were prepared to die for each other on the field and we were frank with each other. When a colleague was below par guys would tell you straight on the face.
LD: Talking about that, I remember in a match you guys led in a cup game against Hwange at the Colliery Stadium in 1981 where you allowed them to claw back and win 4-2 from two goals down, Douglas Mloyi spitting on your face and calling you names.
PN: We led 2-0 and lost 4-2. We were all disappointed but his reaction was all in the spirit of having lost and nothing beyond that. That is who we were as a team to each other.
LD: Another incident it is said after being beaten by a stinger from range you remained sprawling on the ground and Mloyi is said to have come closer to check on you. You are said to have asked what the fans were saying . . .
PN: Dougie was a big joker and he still is.
LD: So many trophies, no league title in your first 13 years with Highlanders must have been a sore point.
PN: Yes. But we got it right in 1990 with Barreto (Roy). He had won it with Saints and he emphasized that the deal in football was the league title, a marathon that separates boys from men. Obviously the effervescent effect of the tournaments where we played two to four games and we were richly rewarded played a part too.
LD: What led to your near collapse in 1989?
PN: The departure of many players, Mpumelelo Dzowa, Alexander Maseko, Madinda, Tito Paketh, Willard Khumalo, Mercedes Sibanda, Tanny Banda, Boy Ndlovu, my injury, Thoko Sithole and Ronnie Jowa was too much for the club. We brought in youngsters and they eventually gelled well. It is the time Makheyi Nyathi, Thulani Gumede, Makwinji Soma-Phiri, Peter and Adam Ndlovu, Abraham Mbambo, Nqobani Ncube and several others were given a run with the first team leading to a firm foundation for our league and cup double of 1990.
LD: Another league championship followed three years later.
PN: Our juniors had matured and were a closely knit unit that played some breath taking football.
LD: After a career blighted by injuries you called it a day in 1994. Any regrets?
PN: I had a magnificent career and rubbed shoulders with the best. I was Goalkeeper of the Year, was capped in a 1-1 draw for my country and had I been taller I think I could have been capped over a dozen times. But in all honest the competition then was great. We had Bruce, Posani Sibanda, Zebron Magorimbo, Victor Dliwayo, Mike Mhlanga, Matthew Mwale, Labani Kandi in the older generation and youngsters Leon Ntawantawa, Lucky Dube, Brenna Msiska, M’parutsa and Frank Mkanga all very competitive.
Apart from the conventional 11-a-side national team I was part of the Zimbabwe Five-a-Side team that played in the World Cup in 1989 hosted by Holland. Another honour was being part of the 11 Soccer Star of the Year finalists in 1988.
LD: After retiring what did you do?
PN: I have coached several clubs and national teams. I am a Zifa Level Four coach and a Fifa trained goalkeepers’ trainer. At the moment am open to offers.
LD: Last but not least which was your best Highlanders side?
PN: The 1986 team. It had very dynamic wing play with Madinda and Tanny the architects, Tito Paketh, Willard Khumalo and Titus Majola the engineroon with a good defence of Douglas Mloyi, Alexander Maseko, Rambo, Fanuel Ncube, Netsai Moyo and Dumisani Nyoni. Our wing play was effective, we could build from the back through the middle on the wings and then punish opponents in the centre.
Online Reporter