Kaindu denies striker crisis

Sport
HIGHLANDERS head coach Kelvin Kaindu says the club is confident of players that it has acquired so far ahead of the Bob 90 Super Cup final against perennial nemesis Dynamos on Sunday at Rufaro Stadium and the start of the 2014 season.

HIGHLANDERS head coach Kelvin Kaindu says the club is confident of players that it has acquired so far ahead of the Bob 90 Super Cup final against perennial nemesis Dynamos on Sunday at Rufaro Stadium and the start of the 2014 season.

Fortune Mbele Sports Reporter

The Zambian gaffer said this after his morning training session yesterday, indicating the Bulawayo giants were not searching for a striker and were hoping for a better 2014 season.

“If you look at every team around the world today they are looking for strikers, but they have midfielders who have scored.

“We have what we have and we need to build confidence in the players we have. We hope they will deliver. We are almost close to coming up with our final squad for 2014 and have advanced further before the actual squad is made official,” he said.

“We are not looking for a striker. If we were looking for a striker, we would have gone public about it. What we want to do is to work on consistency. There is always room for improvement.”

Highlanders have brought some of the country’s top players that include Kudakwashe Mahachi, Charles Sibanda, Valentine Ndaba, Joel Ngodzo, Rahman Kutsanzira and Welcome Ndiweni, who all play in the middle of the park.

Mahachi, Kutsanzira, Sibanda and Ngodzo are more on attack with Highlanders remaining with four strikers in Cleopas Dube and the young Gabriel Nyoni, Ozias Zibande and Mgcini Sibanda.

Bosso also retained midfielders Peter “Rio” Moyo, Milton Ncube, Mthulisi Maphosa and Simon Munawa with Erick Mudzingwa virtually pushed back to defence.

Mahachi and possibly Moyo and Ncube will be leaving the club for South Africa in mid-season.

On the game against Dynamos on Sunday, Kaindu said he was aware the league champions have always dominated Bosso, but said it would be a different year.

“When it comes to games pitting Highlanders and Dynamos people do not consider whether it is a friendly, league or cup game. I know Dynamos have been a dominant force, they are a big team and we respect them,” Kaindu said.

“But this is a different year and the game is going to be played on a different platform, and let the better team win on Sunday.”

Highlanders have not beaten Dynamos in a long time and last year the two sides drew 1-1 in Harare in a league match and Bosso lost 0-1 at Babourfilds Stadium in the reverse fixture.

They will meet in Week 12 in their first league match.

Kaindu said doctors were assessing Kutsanzira who has started training after he sustained an injury on the first day at training.

Munawa is also being assessed and Kaindu said he would know by today if the two would be part of the team that plays Dynamso on Sunday.

Also likely to be part of the team is Habbas Jim, the striker from Burundi, who has been training with Highlanders.