Chicken Inn, Bosso clash

Sport
HIGHLANDERS and Chicken Inn decided to take the advantage of the extended league break and square off in a friendly match at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.

HIGHLANDERS and Chicken Inn have decided to take the advantage of the extended league break and square off in a friendly match at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.

FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER

Chicken Inn spokesperson Tavengwa Hara said the game will be used to showcase players that the two clubs have acquired during the mid-season transfer window period as well as prepare for the resumption of Premier Soccer League (PSL) games next week after the Warriors and Zambia African Nations Championships first leg qualifier at Rufaro on Sunday.

“We will be playing Highlanders on Saturday (tomorrow) at BF (Barbourfields) in a friendly match. It is a friendly match, but as serious as any other game. We have agreed that it will count for our Bulawayo rankings.

“The game also gives a chance for the coaches to showcase their new players who will have a chance to play in that match and they will see if the players fit into their systems,” Hara said.

Bosso secretary Andrew Tapela also confirmed the friendly tie. Since coming into the league in 2011, Chicken Inn and Bosso have met seven times and each has won once. The rest of the games have been draws including a 1-1 stalemate in the Mayor’s Christmas Cheer Fund tie last year.

In 2011, Highlanders beat the GameCox 2-1 at Luveve in the first round of league before a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture. Last year both league matches did not produce any goals with Chicken Inn beating Bosso 1-0 on June 19 at BF before they settled for another 1-1 draw on July 14 at the same venue.

Bulawayo football fans will have a chance to watch premiership action tomorrow after they last watched Bosso beating Hwange 1-0 at BF on July 21 before the break to accommodate the harmonised elections and the Warriors Chan assignments. Gate charges will be $3 for the rest of the ground, $5 for the wings and $10 for the VIP.

Highlanders have goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya, Masimba Mambare, Milton Ncube and Peter “Rio” Moyo with the Warriors and have brought in Master Masitara and Tinashe Chipunza from Botswana in the mid-season transfer window.

The two could be making combinations with Mthulisi Maphosa, Hillary Madzivanyika, Beaven Chikaka, Njabulo “Tshiki” Ncube and the youthful Gabriel Nyoni, who also came in during the transfer window after a six-month loan to Division one side Bulawayo Chiefs.

Bosso parted ways with Cleopas “Balotelli” Dube who was only with the Bulawayo giants for a year after he came mid-season last year from ZPC Hwange. He has since joined Bulawayo Chiefs.

Chipunza is said to have replaced Honest Moyo, sidelined due to injury, while striker Graham Ncube was shown the door. Chicken Inn on the other hand, have three players on national duty and those are leading scorer Tendai Ndoro, captain Felix Chindungwe and midfielder Danny “Deco” Phiri.

During the window period they grabbed Clement Matawu, Dylan Chivandire and reregistered Evans Chikwaikwai who had been out of action for the first half of the season due to injury.

The GameCox now have quite a number of strikers and the fight for a team jersey will definitely be intense with Mkhokheli Dube, Thomas Chimenya and Tendai Mukambi also in their books.

Chicken Inn wielded the axe on Makhosi Ncube, Richard Jongwe, Julius Daudi and Dion Homela. Jongwe has since joined Hwange while Daudi and Homela made their way to the border town of Beitbridge where they joined relegation-fighting Tripple B.