Striker boost for Chicken Inn

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
CHICKEN Inn’s Caf Champions League preparations received a boost yesterday following the arrival of experienced striker Obidiah Tarumbwa at their Hartsfield training ground.

Tarumbwa is one of the four players added to the Chicken Inn squad that will compete in the continental club competition.

The striker joins Chicken Inn from Bantu Rovers, who had loaned him out to Highlanders last season. Defender Teenage Hadede, who was also on loan to Highlanders last year. Strikers Psywell Madhazi and Moses Demera complete the champions’ new acquisitions. Madhazi and Demera turned out for relegated Dongo Sawmill and Flame Lily respectively.

However, it is the conclusion of protracted negotiations with Tarumbwa that gave coach Joey Antipas relief as he works on rounding up his team’s preparations for an early season start due to their participation in the Caf Champions League.

Tarumbwa was vital in Highlanders’ 2015 campaign, forming one of the most lethal partnerships in the Premiership with Warriors’ forward Knox Mutizwa. Mutizwa won the Golden Boot award after scoring 14 goals in 18 starts, while Tarumbwa scored six goals and had lots of assists.

Antipas said he is looking forward to a fruitful relationship with Tarumbwa.

“He’s an experienced striker and I hope he will bring positive influence to the team,” said Antipas.

Tarumbwa will be part of the champions’ squad that leaves the country for Zambia to participate in a four-team tournament that runs from January 27 to February 3 in Ndola.

The Zimbabwean champions are replacing their Caf Champions League preliminary round opponents Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa at the Zambia tournament organised by Zesco United.

The tournament, which will be played at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, will see the Gamecocks playing three games against Tanzania’s Azam FC and Zambia’s Zesco United and Zanaco.

Antipas is elated with the Zambian trip, which he says will give his players the much needed game time ahead of the Sundowns’ clash.

Chicken Inn begin their maiden Caf Champions League appearance at home on the weekend of February 12-14, with the return leg set for Pretoria two weeks later.

“It will be great to travel to Zambia for the tournament that we’ve been invited to because it will give us the required game time. We’re coming from off-season and we’re in our third week of training, meaning we really need to play friendly games so that the guys are match- fit. Remember our opponents in the Caf Champions League (Sundowns) are already halfway through their season and they’re already in the groove, which means we’ve to work hard on our fitness training,” said Antipas.

Chicken Inn registered 28 players for the Caf Champions League. They have been training without four of their players, goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, defender Lawrence Mhlanga and strikers Edmore Chirambadare and Moses Demera, who are with the locally-based Warriors squad at the on-going African Nations Championship (Chan) in Rwanda.

Winger George Majika, who failed to make it into the Warriors’ Chan squad, trained with the team yesterday, while skipper Danny Phiri, who has just recovered from a tendon injury, continued with his road to full recovery by training alone at the gym.