Bosso face FC Platinum

Sport
FOLLOWING the controversial Bob 90 Super Cup elimination match against Harare City at Barbourfields Stadium last Sunday, Highlanders entertain FC Platinum at Barbourfields Stadium in a pre-season friendly match at the same venue on Sunday.

FOLLOWING the controversial Bob 90 Super Cup elimination match against Harare City at Barbourfields Stadium last Sunday, Highlanders entertain FC Platinum at Barbourfields Stadium in a pre-season friendly match at the same venue on Sunday.

FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER

Bosso will once again play the friendly match without head coach Kelvin Kaindu as the Bulawayo giants grapple to finalise their squad for the 2014 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.

Kaindu is expected back in the country next week from the UK where he is attending a Uefa B Licencing course.

Assistant coach Mark Mathe will be in charge once more after his troops came from behind on Sunday to beat Harare City 2-1 in what Zifa has said was a friendly match.

Highlanders secretary Andrew Tapela yesterday confirmed the friendly match against the Zvishavane-based side, which has played relatively quite a number of friendly matches as they prepare for 2014.

This will be Highlanders’ second match after the win over Harare City.

“We are playing FC Platinum at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday,” Tapela said.

Although inconsequential, Mathe said last Sunday’s game was of huge benefit for Highlanders and he will be using the same approach against FC Platinum as he works on player combinations, fitness and cohesion of his squad.

Football fans were treated to an exhilarating game last Sunday as Highlanders parading some of the new players that included Kudakwashe Mahachi, Charles Sibanda, Valentine Ndaba, Welcome Ndiweni, and Mkhululi Dube while Felix Chindungwe and Joel Ngodzo sat on the bench and did not play.

Mathe said all the players that are training with Bosso will have a chance to play on Sunday as another team will play Division One side Black Boots as a curtain raiser to the main match.

“Our approach will basically be the same like last Sunday because we are still working on combinations, cohesion and fitness as we want to see how the new players adapt.

“But the results are equally important as winning will boost the morale of the boys. Players who did not play in the last match will have a chance to play on Sunday as we are actually playing two friendly matches, with the curtain raiser being against Black Boots,” Mathe said.

Canadians Phillippe Barriault and Jean-Felix Lemieux and Zambian striker Mathews Macha are some of the players who might feature in the two friendly matches.

Sibanda, Ndiweni and Ngodzo face-off against their former paymasters FC Platinum, while former Bosso striker Njabulo “Tshiki” Ncube has been on the rampage for the Zvishavane outfit in their friendly matches together with another former Highlanders player Tarisai Rukanda, who joined the platinum miners from neighbours Shabanie Mine.

FC Platinum head coach, Lloyd Mutasa is upbeat and has said his side is ready to compete in 2014.

They have played five friendly matches so far beating PSL newcomers ZPC Kariba 1-0 in the resort town, playing a 1-1 draw against Bantu Rovers, who also will be playing in top flight this year, beat returnees Chapungu 3-2 and 2-1 and Triangle 1-0.

Ncube has found the net four times in the five friendly matches with Rukanda grabbing a hat trick against Chapungu and yesterday they were due to play Chiredzi United in a practice match at Mandava.

“We are looking forward to playing Highlanders on Sunday. It will be good enough to measure our strength against a strong side like Highlanders. Our new players are coming up day by day and we retained most of our players that played last season,” Mutasa.

FC Platinum have added into their squad former Buffaloes king-pin Stephen Sibanda, James Marufu from DC Academy, Walter Musona from Aces Academy with goalkeeper Godfrey Chisango, Immaculate Maune and Livingstone coming from the junior ranks.The two teams will be using the match to gauge their strengths ahead of next week’s CG Msipa Charity Shield matches.