Young Mighty Warriors fly to meet Baby Banyana

February 17-19.
The Young Mighty Warriors were supposed to play the South Africa Under-20 on Unity Day as curtain-raisers to the Mighty Warriors/Banyana Banyana International Challenge Cup.
But the visitors later withdrew the junior team after failing to secure tickets to Harare for an enlarged squad during the festive season.
And Safa this week wrote to Zifa requesting the Young Mighty Warriors travel before the first round qualifiers in two weeks time. Baby Banyana are also using the match to prepare for their World Cup qualifier against Botswana as African teams bid for two slots at stake at the World Cup in Russia in August.
Both teams were handed a bye in the preliminary round, which was played in December, with Zimbabwe getting the bye by virtue of being the Zone Six champions.
Langton Giwa’s charges are entirely a new squad following the graduation of the team, which won gold at the 2010 Zone Six Games in Swaziland, into the senior team.
The team only has Mighty Warriors’ rightback Eunice Chibanda as the experienced player as the defender would be turning 19 this March.
Goalkeeper Portia Mukucha, who will captain the side, Aces midfielder Elizabeth Chaparangana, New Orleans’ Rhoda Jongondi and Mufakose Queens Rutendo Madongorere are some of the players who have trained with the senior team but failed to get jerseys. Young Mighty Warriors’ team manager, Debra Green, said the international friendly would give the newly-assembled squad the exposure they need ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
“We are happy that the warm up match has come before we play Mozambique and it will help us assess the team and work on all the grey areas.
“We are serious about the World Cup qualifiers and we want to progress to the next round where we will meet Nigeria so we have a lot of work to do.
“We have been informed by Zifa that the cut off date is January 1992 and we have drafted the players from 1992 going downwards.
“The technical team identified these players from the Youth Games which were held last August in Gwanda and some of the players are playing in the national league,” said Green.
Former Mighty Warriors player, Sithethelele “Kwinji 15” Sibanda, who is New Orleans assistant coach, is Giwa’s deputy at the Under-20 team.
Squad
Portia Mukucha, Nokukhosi Ncube, Rhoda Jongondi, Maggie Moyo (all New Orleans), Edith Timire, Faith Chasi, Nomsa Bizeck, Rutendo Madongorere, Rumbidzai Gora (all Mufakose Queens), Eunice Chibanda, Tafadzwa Tsungura, Elizabeth Chaparangana(all Aces), Nyasha Munemo, Grace Chigura (all Cyclone Queens), Mavis Chirandu, Babra Soko (all Auckland), Charity Karuru (Masvingo Queens), Hilda Matavu (Cosa Guruve).