adminSenior Reporter
NIMBLE FOOTED Mutare City Rovers player Hibron ‘Adala Chomie’ Makukutu thinks it is too early to panic for the sole Manicaland Premiership outfit Mutare City Rovers after a humiliating 0-3 drubbing at the hands of fellow Premiership rookies Ngezi Platinum.
He, however, believes there is need to beef up the team almost in all departments.
Mutare City Rovers coach Kenny ‘Bokande’ Kachara was in for a rude awakening and could not even entertain media post match interviews after his team was outplayed at the hands of determined Ngezi Platinum in a Castle Lager Premiership rookies’ clash played at Sakubva stadium on Sunday.
The lukewarm season opener saw the hosts, City Rovers, playing second fiddle to their opponents from the first whistle and by the time young referee Tinashe Marange blew the final whistle, anger and exasperation was written all over the faces of the sizable crowd that had been backing the Mutare municipality outfit.
Although he pointed out the need to beef up the squad, Makukutu is of the opinion that it is too early to panic.
“I think we really need to add a few more players to strengthen the squad judging by the performance that we displayed on Sunday. We can get free agents that can be registered if there are slots that were left when the team registered players.
“However, I think it is too early to panic. We still have 29 matches to play. Yes, we should have done better to instil confidence on day one but we failed hence the need to look forward with confidence. Premiership football is not child’s play and we just have to adjust to the conditions if we are to survive,’ said Makukutu.
Madamburo, as Ngezi Platinum are adoringly referred to by their fans, surged ahead just 10 minutes into the match after ageing left back Mike Nyamukasa clumsily hacked down speedy Innocent Sokoli in the box after the Rovers’ defender had been clearly outpaced by the hard running Sokoli.
Cool, calm and collected Marange, son of retired Fifa panel referee Kenny Marange who was also making his Premiership debut just like the two teams, made no mistake as he pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Sokoli who scored past a sprawling Philip Nhete in goals for the hosts.
Terence Dzvukamanja ghosted from the blind side to double the lead for the platinum miners after shoving home Washington Pakamisa’s cross that had flown past the face of goal just four minutes later.
In the 81st minute, veteran forward Pakamisa then got to the end of a neat exchange of passes and beat a diving Nhete to seal victory for the Mhondoro platinum miners.
With a porous defence that was easily penetrable, the hosts were a bunch of nerves and rarely looked threatening upfront as their jittery strikers took turns to fluff the few scoring chances they created.
Mutare City Rovers frustration was the summed up by their coach’s unsporting behaviour when the unheralded head coach Kachara, whose credentials were widely questioned in Mutare given his only known Caf C coaching qualification, refused to grant the media post match interviews.
‘I have no comment,’ said Kachara as he walked away to console his players.
Online Reporter