Highlanders coach Kelvin Kaindu must be feeling relieved that he is not facing Dynamos this afternoon.
BY MICHAEL MADYIRA
Bosso cross swords today with How Mine in a Chibuku Super Cup quarterfinal match at Hartsfield.
Still smarting from last weekend’s 4-1 demolition by Dynamos in a TM Pick n Pay Challenge Cup, Highlanders have something to divert attention from that embarrassment.
The defeat by Dynamos sparked outrage from Bosso fans and claimed the scalp of captain Innocent Mapuranga who has since been replaced by Ariel Sibanda.
It also led to a two-week suspension of striker Njabulo Ncube while fellow forward Charles Sibanda and linkman Joel Ngodzo are now sitting on final warnings for indiscipline.
How Mine could therefore provide relief for Kaindu. But a loss to the gold miners could ring the death knell on Kaindu’s reign as Bosso coach.
“On the Dynamos loss, these are the kind of results that are there. What is important now is how you focus on the next match,” said Kaindu.
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“A derby is tricky and especially that this is a Cup game. There has to be a winner and we hope we will be the better side.” Kaindu is not mourning the absence of suspended Ncube who is yet to score since his July return to Bosso.
“Every player in our team is important. There are others who can come in for Njabulo and it will be their opportunity to claim their stake in the team,” he said.
Pre-match tension has already characterise the match with How Mine being barred from training at the match venue.
The goal miners’ coach Luke Masomere says “cheap politics” was at play to frustrate them ahead of the game.
Masomere claims they were denied entry into Hartsfield on Tuesday before they trained on the stadium’s B field.
He also said he agreed with Highlanders that on Wednesday they would train at the main arena in the morning before Bosso work-out in the afternoon but they were again denied entry.
According to Masomere, the same story occurred on Thursday before they were completely locked out on Friday when they were not allowed to even train on the B field.
“The stadium does not even belong to Highlanders but we are undeterred by the cheap politics. It is actually confusion,” said Masomere.
“Apart from all those frustrations, we are ready for them. Morale is high in our camp and we are not under pressure.” It would be Masomere’s third game in charge after recording a loss and a win so far.
The coach welcomes on his side Menard Mupera from a long-term injury while Timothy January and Nhasha Mukumbi are out injured together with teenage goalkeeper Donovan Bernard who has a huge grass-burn on his thigh.
