From farm worker to PSL sensation

OF course, his story does not deserve the rags-to-riches tag, because he is yet to make the money in a local Premier Soccer League (PSL) that still cannot afford to reward its footballers handsomely.

But Taimon Machope has his own incredible tale, one that has seen him rise from obscurity to the limelight.

Only two years ago, he was an unknown farm worker, who was gratified with environs such as Rusape and Macheke.

However, today, his name is known across the country, following a memorable debut in the PSL.

Machope is now a subject of interest among some top-flight coaches across the country.

A goal-scoring blitz, which saw him bang seven goals in 12 league games for Simba Bhora, transformed Machope’s status.

His goal-scoring ratio of one goal in less than two games was key as Simba Bhora survived relegation in the last few rounds of the season.

Coincidentally, Machope was recruited by Simba Bhora midway through the 2023 league marathon from an Eastern Region Division One side called Midway.

Simba Bhora were dabbling with relegation and they needed a trusted gunman to fire them out of the drop zone.

And they chose the unlikeliest source, given their predicament and task at hand.

However, the 29-year-old Machope rose to the occasion and scored seven goals in 1,080 minutes of action and in the process attracted attention across the league.

Aware that Machope has been attracting interest from bigger clubs, Dynamos included, Simba Bhora reacted swiftly and offered the striker a fresh and more lucrative two-year deal.

“Simba Bhora forward Taimon Machope has inked a new two-year deal, ending speculation over a potential exit,” wrote the club on their official Facebook page on Tuesday.

Simba Bhora coach Tonderai Ndiraya has described Machope as a “beast in the box” and one of the most talented forwards in the country.

“Machope is a very intelligent striker and we are talking of serious talent here. If you ask me, Machope is national team material.”

So lethal is Machope that he needed only 20 minutes to impress a scout sent by Simba Bhora to watch him play at Midway early this year. Ndiraya had been alerted of the player by local agent Trust Nyambiya of TKT Sports some two years ago, when he was still in charge of Dynamos.

Machope scored over 100 goals in two seasons for Midway when they were still in Division Two.

So, when a scoring crisis arose at Simba Bhora just before the mid-season transfer window, Ndiraya remembered the name Machope . Ndiraya quickly dispatched goalkeepers trainer Zivanai Kawadza to go and watch Machope.

After only 20 minutes, Machope had scored two goals plus an assist and Kawadza immediately phoned Ndiraya.

“Kawadza told me that what he had seen was enough,” revealed Ndiraya.

That is how Machope broke into the PSL. Yet only three years ago, Machope worked at Mason Farm near Rusape town, and would also play in the farm league during his spare time.

Sometimes they would get remunerated with groceries.

But that is how he was spotted by Midway, another farm-based team that was playing in Division Two before gaining promotion into the Eastern Region Division One.

Interestingly, Machope would double up as a block man at the farm’s abattoir and then play football during weekends.

His father is a retired soldier and farmer, so Machope’s life has been associated with farming. Before relocating to Rusape, Machope played for a Division Two side, Zimasco, which was based in Mutorashanga when he was still a Form Two learner.

Because of his height, Machope also played basketball in his childhood days.

He is 1.9 metres tall. He is arguably the tallest striker in the PSL today.

“I was raised in Mutorashanga but now I am staying in Epworth and I am happy that I got an opportunity to play top-flight football,” Machope told The Sunday Mail Sport.

“When I signed for Simba Bhora, I knew the task at hand was huge because the club was in a delicate position.

“I had to hit the ground running.” Machope scored on his debut as Simba Bhora stunned FC Platinum 2-1 at Mandava on August 5. He went on to miss five matches due to injury but still managed to reach seven goals at the end of the season.

In the end, he was just six goals behind the league’s Golden Boot winner Takunda Benhura, who played the whole season for champions Ngezi Platinum Stars.

And Ndiraya believes Machope could break local goal-scoring records next season.

“From a farm team into the PSL and the boy scores seven goals, that’s remarkable!

“If he is going to have a good pre-season, I suppose he can breach the 20-goal mark next season. I see him breaking records in the near future,” Ndiraya said.

The last player to score 20-plus goals in the PSL was Norman Maroto, who banged 22 for Gunners in 2022.

“Of course, you can see some technical deficiencies because of his background, but for a boy who was plucked from some farm in Rusape, you would not expect him to be technically sound.”