Dick confident of Confed Cup success

Sport
How Mine defender Hebert Dick says he has decided to give the youngsters a chance to shine in the Caf Confed Cup and is confident with the team that travelled to the Seychelles

VETERAN How Mine defender Hebert Dick says he has decided to give the youngsters a chance to shine in the Caf Confederation Cup and is confident that the team that travelled to the Seychelles for the first round second leg encounter against St Michel United FC tomorrow is destined for greater things.

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The steely centre-back was not part of the team that clobbered St Michel 5-1 at Barbourfields Stadium (BF) last Saturday and did not travel with the team that left Bulawayo for Johannesburg en route to the Indian Ocean Island on Wednesday.

Dick (34) took his time to bid the boys farewell at the Bulawayo City Hall as they left for the Joshua Mqabuko International Airport and said he believed it was high time he gave the youngsters a chance, hinting for the first time on hanging his boots.

“We have a very strong team that can go places in the tournament. I am not travelling with the team. I think it’s time that I give these youngsters a chance. I believe they are going to win in the Seychelles and go through to the next stage,” he said.

Dick captained How Mine in their first season in the PSL last year partnering Gilbert Banda in the centre-back when the side was nicknamed the giant-killers after felling Highlanders and Dynamos.

At the end of the season, there was speculation that he and midfielder Menard Mupera were calling it quits.

However, Dick said he would only retire after the Confederation Cup with head coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube saying the hard-tackling defender would be the team manager this year.

Dick sat on the bench in the first leg of the preliminary round of the Confederation Cup against Chuoni FC of Zanzibar and came in for Edmore Muzanenhamo in the 90th minute of the second leg.

How Mine have been the biggest winners in the Confederation Cup this year, thrashing Chuoni whom they thrashed 4-0 at BF before beating them 2-1 in Zanzibar to cruise through to the first round on a 6-1 goal aggregate.

The gold miners massacred St Michel 5-1 at BF last Saturday and have scored the highest number of goals (11) in the competition so far with Kuda Musharu, the leading scorer, having scored five goals.

Skipper Banda, who missed the preliminary round as he had not secured a passport, was also upbeat before leaving for Johannesburg on Wednesday.

“We are going through to the second round. We command a healthy lead from the first leg,” said Banda who partnered Nyasha Mukumbi last Saturday.

Speaking in a telephone interview from Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, yesterday, club chairman Mlondolozi Nkomo said they had arrived safely in South Africa and were on their way to the Seychelles.

“We are at Oliver Tambo Airport right now and we are flying out to the Seychelles at 12pm. We will arrive in the Seychelles at 7pm (5pm local time),” Nkomo said.

How Mine will only have today to have a feel of the Stade Linite before the match tomorrow.