Lions of the North are now the Young Lions

Highlands Park chairman Brad Kaftel yesterday confirmed that the three long-time PSL stalwarts, Collins Mbesuma, Franklin Cale and Surprise Moriri, (right), who were brought in during The Lions of the North’s failed bid to retain their Absa Premiership status, could be leaving the club.

But, at the same time as delivering something of a bombshell, Kaftel expressed unequivocal confidence over Highlands secur- ing promotion from the National First Division next season with The Lions of the North switching to what might be termed a Young Lions policy.

“I don’t want to minimise the role in which some of our veteran star signings played during the past season,” added the Highlands chairman, “but I believe that despite failing by a whisker to avoid relegation to the NFD, we have systematically built a highly promising squad of budding younger players who will only get better and better and become more unified from their experience in the Premiership”.

Kaftel explained that Cale’s contract had now expired: the club had received unofficial reports of Moriri’s desire to retire and bring to an end a varied and outstanding career and that Zambian international striker Mbesuma was not overly happy over the prospect of playing in the NFD.

“Should all these players leave,” added Kaftel, “I believe we will already have a ready-made side quite capable of returning to the Premiership, added to the proviso that we will still be on the lookout for any suitable reinforcements who might surface.”

Pointedly, Kaftel said Highlands had learnt a great deal – “on and off the field” – from the experience of playing in the Premiership and had moulded into a far more formidable combination than they were at the start of the 2016/17 season.

And, with this in mind, the tradition-steeped Lions of the North may fare better on the revival trail in their new guise as The Young Lions.