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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS FC’s young brigade has begged their impatient supporters not to boo them as that puts unnecessary pressure on them. Bosso finally bagged their first set of three points under Mark Mathe when they beat relegated Chiredzi at Hartsfield Grounds yesterday to bring smiles to their supporters.
The only disappointing factor though was the constant booing of the youngsters who were introduced in the last 20 minutes by stand-in coach Mathe.
Mathe pulled out Knox Mutizwa for Godfrey “Baba Jukwa” Makaruse in the 69th minute, Gabriel Nyoni for Under-20 international Mgcini Sibanda and Valentine Ndaba for King Nadolo, nine minutes before time.
However, instead of supporting the youngsters, who are the future of the team, the fans actually booed them whenever they made mistakes, with Sibanda, 19, being the one mostly targeted by the boo boys.
“The game was okay but the boos by the very same people that you would expect to spur you on were rather demotivating. When your very own fans turn against you, it puts you off the game and sometimes it’s hard to recover. I really wish our supporters would encourage us when we are in there instead of the boos. The mistakes we do will not be deliberate but we would be trying hard to positively contribute to the team,” said Mgcini.
Mathe also called upon the Highlanders supporters to desist from booing the youngsters but instead support them.
“These boys are the future of Highlanders but if they are booed it affects them. They can only gain experience if we give them some game time,” said Mathe.
It was a positive move by Mathe to play the boys as the club has in the last three years opted to buy instead of developing its own.
Online Reporter