BY TERRY MADYAUTA
WITH just two games remaining in the season, former Chicken Inn striker Clive Augusto appears the overwhelming favourite to win the coveted PSL Golden Boot after scoring 14 goals from 17 starts before leaving to join South Africa’s Maritzburg United mid-season.
Augusto’s tally might seem well set to go unchallenged, but Nadolo, who only joined TelOne from South African side Witbank Spurs during the mid-season transfer window before racing to 10 goals still, believes that his dream of winning the coveted gong is very much achievable.
The 23-year-old former Highlanders player has been the vital cog in TelOne’s battle for survival, notching up crucial goals that have helped revive his side’s hopes of staying afloat following a dismal first half in the campaign.
Last Wednesday Nadolo’s exploits earned him selection to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Stars of the Year calendar, in the process becoming the first TelOne forward to engrave his name among the Soccer Stars list.
The slippery forward is also pretty poised to win the club’s Players’ Player of the Year award, but he still has bigger dreams.
“The golden boot is still very much attainable. I can catch up and scoop it considering the games we are left with before the season ends,” Nadolo told The Sports Hub.
“Apart from being on the [Soccer Stars] calendar, I want to score more goals. Had I been here when the season started maybe I could have done more for the team.
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“I am happy for being recognised by the Premier League and being selected among the best means there us a lot of work to be done so that we can maintain that standard, now and in the next season.”
Nadolo, however, emphasised that although he has his personal targets he would not prioritise personal glory at the expense of his side’s goal to preserve their topflight status.
TelOne are currently in 12th position and two points away from the relegation zone ahead of their final two matches where they will host Hwange in the penultimate match before facing Chicken Inn away on the final day of the season.
“What I want to ensure is that we survive relegation 100%,” he said.
“So, the last two games are critical for the team.
“In celebrations we are mindful of the fact that we are still not safe, therefore, I am not relaxing since we have a team to save.
“We have a brand to safeguard because that is where our families survive on, that is where our bread is buttered.”
Nadolo proved to be the right tonic for TelOne’s blunt strike force that had struggled to find the back of the net, save for Emmanuel Mandiranga, who has scored four goals for the team.
However, his arrival signaled a change of fortunes, with his goal scoring prowess, providing a new lease of life for side that seemed destined for a rather quick return to division football.
The former Highlanders man has become the clubs’ mainstay, helping the WiFi boys record wins at the turn of the second half, in which he provided 10 goals and five assists.
His latest exploits have also reignited interests from his former paymasters Highlanders, who are reported to have made inquiries about his services, nevertheless, Nadolo said his mission with TelOne is far from completion.
“I don’t have any plans of moving away from the club, which I joined during the mid-season break. I have a running contract and surely I don’t have any plans of moving away from the club, because I need to revive career especially after things turned in the way I did not expect in South Africa,” said Nadolo.
