YOU can do everything in football, but if you can’t score, you won’t win.
FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER
This is exactly what’s stalking Highlanders as they have gone 450 minutes without scoring. They failed to find the target once more against Chapungu in the season opening Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) match at Ascot on Saturday.
Going into the market for Highlanders has certainly not paid off as they seem to have beefed up only the already strong departments while leaving the position of a natural striker empty.
For two seasons in a row, the former champions have lost the league title on goal difference to Dynamos, but coach Kelvin Kaindu says something will come up “very soon”.
“We cannot continue to talk of a striker who is not there, but we have to build confidence in those players that we have. Like I said on Saturday, if you have a team that is creating chances it means we are getting there. The build-ups and the penetration were good, but we could not get the goals. We are happy with what we saw. It’s a phase that we are going through and we need to work on it,” Kaindu said.
Highlanders brought midfielders – Kudakwashe Mahachi, Charles Sibanda, Valentine Ndaba, Welcome Ndiweni, Joel “Josta” Ngodzo – in addition to an array of other midfielders Milton Ncube, Peter “Rio” Moyo, Erick Mudzingwa, Mthulisi Maphosa, Hillary Madzivanyika and Simon Munawa.
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Last year in July Graham Ncube left with four goals on his back while Njabulo “Tshiki” Ncube, who joined FC Platinum this year, scored nine. Milton Ncube banged in five.
Bosso scored 45 league goals, the highest number, but if the trend that has characterised the off-season and the first match continues, the dream of winning the championship that has eluded them for seven years, is far from being achieved.
The Zambian gaffer on Saturday said too much was being expected from the Mamelodi Sundowns-bound Mahachi although he believed the former Chicken Inn attacking midfielder is a good player.
Highlanders will take on Shabanie Mine at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.
But the man, who might rise to the occasion for Highlanders if given a chance to prove himself upfront will be Cleopas “Balotelli” Dube who came in for Nyoni against Chapungu on Saturday.
Dynamos, the league champions from whom Bosso intends to wrest the title, have quite a number of ball attackers in their squad that include Oscar Machapa, Washington Pakamisa, Simba Sithole, Ronald Chitiyo, Patrick Khumbula, Cliff Sekete and Tafadzwa Rusike.
Pakamisa scored nine last season, Tawanda Muparati six, Clive Kawinga five and Khumbula four, and the four are still with the league champions.
Machapa was enterprising on the right wing for Dynamos when they beat How Mine 1-0 on Sunday at Barbourfields Stadium.
Dynamos were without Mambare, Kawinga, Murape Murape and Muparati. Coach Kalisto Pasuwa paid tribute to the PSL for allowing clubs to register 35 players for this season.
“It is going to be tough this season. We have won the league for three seasons and every team wants to beat us. We are happy the PSL made us register 35 players and they made our life easier. We have got depth,” Pasuwa said after the match.
The Glamour Boys will be at home to ZPC Kariba in the second league match.
