Yadah Stars to unleash Mutuma
HARARE City coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube believes the Sunshine Boys have benefited from the two-week international break and are ready to revive their challenge for a decent finish in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship race.
The Sunshine Boys will resume their Premiership campaign with a cagey assignment against unpredictable newboys Yadah Stars, who could unleash newboy Rodreck Mutuma at Morris Depot this afternoon.
The game also presents the likes of Yadah Stars defender Denis Dauda, Jimmy Dzingai and Leeroy Mavunga with an opportunity to put behind them the disappointment of failing to help their country to progress in the CHAN finals.
A victory for Yadah could give Dauda some measure of redemption after he found himself facing the ignominy of being the captain who would have to bear the responsibility of the Warriors’ failure.
Ncube said he was also looking to unleash at least two of his mid-season acquisitions in today’s match.
“We are prepared and I think we have recovered enough, we had enough time to recover from the injuries which we had.
“As long as we can stick to our game plan I am really certain we will get the three points tomorrow.
“We have got some new signings to beef our squad and depending on their match fitness we are going to throw in one or two tomorrow,’’ Ncube said.
The coach has a record of three wins, as many defeats and two draws in the games he has presided over since taking over from Mike Madzivanyika as the Sunshine Boys head coach.
The burly gaffer revealed that they had brought in the quartet of Warren Dube, Peace Tshuma, Welcome Ndiweni, and Kelvin Madzongo.
“I hope the new guys will gel in with the others. Presently, Warren Dube and Welcome Ndiweni are ready to play,’’ Ncube said.
“Definitely we have to work our way up and if we win 10 out of 18 games we will be sixth or fourth. Our current position is not Harare City’s position.”
Yadah have been strengthening their side too and have acquired the nomadic Mutuma from Highlanders.
Bosso chairman, Modern Ngwenya, told The Herald that while Mutuma arrived with a bad boy tag at the Bulawayo giants, he was a model professional during his short stint.
“The only thing I picked out was that he tried too much to make an impact and you could see he was always everywhere, the defence, midfield and attack when we were at Barbourfields,” said Ngwenya.
“He blended well with his teammates and management and he was a model professional who gave it all for the team and we were happy to have him.
“But he got a very good offer, which we couldn’t match, from Yadah, from the signing-on fee to the salary and we owed him a certain amount which he was happy to write off and that’s a good way of parting ways with an employer.
“We believe that, at a club where he won’t be under the kind of pressure that comes with playing for Highlanders, he can be a success again and his move might prove productive for him and we wish him well.
“Players come and go, but for us, what is important is to ensure that Highlanders remain competitive because that is what our fans and stakeholders expect from us.”