Innocent Kurira
WILL it be third time lucky for Kelvin Kaindu, or is the Zambian tactician staring at another painful championship heartbreak in Zimbabwean football?
The Hardrock coach is on the brink of achieving what eluded him during his two previous title challenges with Highlanders, but insists he is not allowing the weight of expectation to get to him as the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League race heads for a dramatic conclusion.
Kaindu has unfinished business with the Zimbabwean championship, having twice come agonisingly close with Bosso in 2012 and 2013, only to finish second to Dynamos on both occasions.
The 2012 heartbreak was particularly cruel, with both teams finishing on 69 points after 30 matches. Dynamos, however, took the championship on goal difference, boasting +43 against Highlanders’ +34.
A year later, history repeated itself.
Both sides again finished level on 54 points, but DeMbare emerged champions with a +21 goal difference compared to Highlanders’ +18.
More than a decade later, Kaindu is once again in the championship picture, this time with a Hardrock side that has transformed itself from survival candidates into genuine title contenders in its maiden Premiership campaign.
But with the finishing line now in sight, the coach is refusing to entertain talk of pressure.
“Every game has its own pressure and every game is different. We are not looking at this as something extraordinary. Our focus is to prepare for the next match and do what is required of us,” said Kaindu.
He is also refusing to allow the painful memories of his Highlanders days to dominate his thoughts.
“I am not thinking about what happened in the past. Those are things that happened in football, but right now my focus is on what we have in front of us. We have a job to do and that is what matters,” he said.
Hardrock missed their first opportunity to wrap up the championship last Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw by Simba Bhora at Wadzanai Stadium.
The setback allowed defending champions Scottland to close the gap to two points after thrashing Herentals 4-0 at Rufaro.
Hardrock now sit on 70 points, with Scottland on 68, setting up a tense final round in which Kaindu’s men host FC Platinum at Chahwanda, while Scottland travel to face Triangle United.
Victory will guarantee Hardrock their maiden Premiership championship, regardless of what happens elsewhere.
For Kaindu, however, the immediate concern is not the mathematics of the title race but having his players available for the decisive assignment.
With several members of his squad away on international duty, the coach is hoping they return without injuries during the break.
“At this stage, what we want is for the players who are away on national team duty to come back fit and without injuries. We need everyone available so that we can prepare properly for the final game,” he said.
Interestingly, Kaindu is reunited at Hardrock with Masimba Mambare, another former Highlanders man who experienced the agony of those title near-misses. The veteran has also played an important role in Hardrock’s championship push, including scoring a dramatic late winner against Dynamos.
The Kasongo Boys have already written an impressive story in their first season among the country’s elite, but the final chapter remains unwritten.
For Kaindu, the opportunity is bigger than another league campaign. It is a chance to finally lay to rest the memories of 2012 and 2013.
Will this be the year he finally gets his crown, or will Zimbabwean football deliver another cruel twist?
