Chibuku Super Cup final set for Rufaro
ZIMBABWE Under-20 coach Bekithemba Ndlovu has hit the ground running in preparation for the 2017 COSAFA Under-20 Championship with the former Warriors defender conducting trials in Bulawayo.
This year’s COSAFA Under-20 Championships will be staged in Kitwe, Zambia, from December 6-16.
And Ndlovu, who has been handed the mandate to try and revive the Young Warriors’ COSAFA fortunes after a poor run at last year’s tournament in South Africa, has started building a strong squad.
The former Zimbabwe and Highlanders defender is looking for fresh talent from across the country ahead of the regional showpiece.
The Young Warriors last won the tournament in 2007.
Since then the Young Warriors, who also used such tournaments to showcase the talents of players like Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat, Archieford Gutu, George Chigova, Kelvin Mushangazhike and Tinashe Nengomasha, have struggled to impose themselves often failing to go beyond the group stage.
In fact, the COSAFA Under-20 Championships used to provide the stepping platform for which talented Young Warriors could secure professional contracts, mainly to South African clubs.
Despite having last won the title 10 years ago, Zimbabwe will still be among the favourites again given the huge pool of young talent in the country.
According to the programme rolled out by Ndlovu and his lieutenants, similar trials will also be held in Harare by CAPS United assistant coach Mark Mathe and Harare City’s Mike Madzivanyika as they battle to find the best young players that will not only feature for the side at the COSAFA Under-20 Championships but also in the African Under-20 Championship qualifiers next year.
Ndlovu was handed the reins of the national Under-20 team after former coach and Bulawayo City gaffer Mandla Mpofu was elevated to work alongside Norman Mapeza in the Warriors.
The Young Warriors were part of the cast of teams that competed at the 2016 COSAFA Under-20 edition in Moruleng, South Africa, but they had a forgettable appearance at the tournament and exited at the first round stage.
A heavy 5-1 defeat at the hands of eventual winners Zambia in their opening match and a 0-0 draw against Malawi set the tone for their poor campaign.
That poor run sparked outrage at home with former Warriors players such as Esrom Nyandoro, who was a television pundit at the tournament, questioning whether the squad that had been sent to South Africa had been truly representative of the talent that is at the country’s disposal.
Darwin United 0, Cranborne Bullets 3; Karoi United 1, Blue Swallows 1; Harare City Cubs 1, Chegutu Pirates 0; Banket United 3, Mufakose United 2; ZRP Morris 2, Trojan Stars 2; ZRP FC 0, Kariba Waves 1; Mushowani Stars 0, Golden Valley 1; Shamva 0, Herentals 1; Ngezi U-19 0, Chitungwiza Municipality 1.