Chindungwe rallies GameCox

Sport
CHICKEN INN skipper Felix Chindungwe has urged his colleagues to guard against complacency when they take on Shabanie Mine

CHICKEN INN skipper Felix Chindungwe has urged his colleagues to guard against complacency when they take on Shabanie Mine in the first quarter-final of the 2013 edition of the BancABC Sup8r Cup at Mandava Stadium today.

REPORT BY FORTUNE MBELE

The Warriors defender yesterday said his teammates should not lose focus after beating the former asbestos miners 1-2 in a league match at Maglas on Sunday, saying concentration would be key.

“It is a different game altogether, this is now a cup tie and they (Shabanie) will not want to be beaten twice, so the pressure might be on us. We have to be focused and not be complacent and move in with a lot of concentration and unity of purpose,” Chindungwe said.

The dreadlocked defender said beating Shabanie Mine today would help retain the superb momentum in the league where they have sprung to position two, level with Bosso on 29 points, but lower on the goals tally.

He said after lifting the NetOne Charity Shield at Mandava in March beating Caps United 3-2 in the final, they have to soldier on and try to bring more pieces of silverware to Bulawayo.

“We have been exiting these big tournaments at the early stages, but winning the NetOne Charity Shield has given us the confidence that we can win more trophies.

But most importantly, Shabanie are not pushovers. They have a good coach and have their tactics, but Mandava has a different atmosphere than Maglas. It is going to be a tough match, but winning tomorrow (today) will keep our momentum high,” Chindungwe said.

Before the NetOne Charity Shield, it has always not been good for the GameCox.

Last year, they were bundled out of the Mbada Diamonds Cup when they allowed relegated Gunners to come back from behind to win 3-2 at Pelandaba Stadium in Gwanda.

In 2011, it was Kiglon who showed Chicken Inn the exit in the first round of the Mbada Diamonds Cup in the first round with a 3-1 win at Mucheke Stadium.

The Shabanie Mine defence should keep leading scorer Tendai Ndoro in check and at the same time watch out for the nimble-footed Kudakwashe Mahachi.

Shabanie Mine coach Luke Masomere has vowed not allow his charges to be beaten again by Chicken Inn inside a week.

“This is a cup game and cup games are different. We might be going into the match as underdogs, but I feel we have a very strong chance to win. Chicken Inn are a good side, they have depth, but we will not let them beat us twice inside one week. We cannot be beaten twice by the same team,” he said.

Shabanie Mine will be hoping that defensive midfielder Tafadzwa Mombeshora will be fit in time for tomorrow’s clash.

Mombeshora, who has proved to be Shabanie’s main man in their recent matches, was pulled out during the weekend’s encounter against Chicken Inn due to injury. Another man to watch at Shabanie is midfielder Fungai Chirinda, who has developed a knack for scoring for the former asbestos miners.