TAPERA CAN BARELY WAIT FOR SHOW TO START
MANICA Diamonds coach, Jairos Tapera, can barely wait for the start of the Castle Lager Premiership this weekend when his charges return home with a tricky opening tie against ambitious Simba Bhora at Sakubva.
The Gem Boys played all their matches away from home last year and ended the campaign in second place.
Now, they are back home at Sakubva.
“Every team is prepared now considering the league was initially scheduled for last weekend and teams had enough time for pre-season,” said Tapera.
“All the teams were even ready to play last week, except for Bikita Minerals, who don’t know their fate yet.
“Most teams went on to play friendly matches and you can say that it’s as good as if we played our first games last weekend.”
He added:
“Going into the first encounter against Simba, we have to give them the respect they deserve.
“They have made a number of acquisitions to show their ambitions but, for us, we are not worried about who we play as we only seek to better our performances every time we play.
“Simba brought in new exciting players and, for us, that means it’s game on. “Several comments have come up on how we performed last season but the reality is it’s all gone and this season is a new one and different altogether.
“The availability of Sakubva means that we are happy for the fans and sponsors.
“It allows the people of Mutare to enjoy top-flight football in their backyard while the sponsor gains visibility within the community.” Tapera said they were not going to rush Kuda Mahachi into the fold after he joined camp late when compared to the rest of the squad. “Mahachi started training with us on Tuesday and we need him to adjust and adapt.
“There is a level of preparedness to play we are expecting him to reach and then we can say he is ready to play but, as of now, there is no need to pile pressure on him.
“We are not going to rush him.”