Manica Diamonds ’keeper guns for gold
AFTER making his Premiership debut at the mature age of 27 last season, Manica Diamonds goalkeeper Tedious Baye is hoping to play a more significant role for the Mutare-based team who will be gunning for silverware this year.
The miners were one of the best-performing teams in the country last term, managing a second-place finish in the league despite playing all their home games at Gibbo in Triangle.
But the fatigue factor is not likely to affect them this coming season as their home venue, Sakubva Stadium, which was refurbished last year, is being readied for 2024.
Baye is keen to play a key role in helping the Jairos Tapera troops win their battles and ultimately land silverware.
The former GreenFuel goalie was one of the best performers in his department across the league after keeping 13 clean sheets in 25 appearances.
He sat on the bench in the opening phases of the marathon with veteran Jorum Muchambo being entrusted with guarding the posts. But once he was given a chance, he proved why he was voted the Eastern Region Division One Soccer Star of the Year in 2022 after managing to shut out the opposition in 23 games out of the 30 he played.
Muchambo has since left Manica Diamonds and Baye will be competing for the Number 1 jersey with Geofrey Chitsumba and young Joseph Kaunda.
“I guess I have gathered some experience in the top-flight league. Last year was very difficult for me, especially mentally.
“But I would like to thank the technical team and all my teammates who always gave me some reason to believe in my abilities.
“At the end of the day, I was performing decently, managing to keep 13 clean sheets in 25 games.
“I would have wanted to better that record but I am proud of what I achieved as I contributed to the team’s impressive second-place finish in the league,” said Baye.
“I learned a lot from Muchambo (Jorum) who is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the country. Chitsumba (Geoffrey) is also my good friend and he is one of those guys who always encourages me to work even harder.
“So the aim this season is to do better than what I did last season as an individual and help the team win silverware.
“Football is about winning trophies. That is the aim and I want to play a key role in the attainment of that goal. I hope and believe that with the squad that we have at our disposal, we can do wonders in the coming season.”
Baye, who averaged 11 accurate passes per game last year said he is also working hard to perfect his footwork.
Tapera has added a lot of steel to his squad bringing in the former Sheasham trio of midfielder Nigel Mpinduki, forward Liberty Masveure, and defender Dalubuhle Jubane.