Gem Boys’ incredible journey
chequebook and in came Bret Amidu, Trevor Mavhunga, Donald Ngoma, Ralph Kawondera, Farai Banda, Panashe Mutasa, Gerald Bhero, Kelvin Giwa, Tadious Baye and Binzi.
Binzi top-scored for the club with 10 goals and was the first player to net a hat-trick in the 2023 season.
His goals propelled Manica Diamonds to a club record second-place finish.
They finished sixth in 2019 and 10th in 2022. Along the way, they posted some big results at Gibbo, where they beat giants Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United.
They also overcame Chicken Inn and walloped Rhinos 4-0 at the same venue.
There were also memorable wins in Hwange and Kariba.
“Now that we have seen it, we know it can be done. We will push to be there on top,” added Tapera. “We believe we have one of the best-assembled teams. Whether we add one or not, the team we have can push us to the top where the big boys are.”
He is the third coach to take charge of Manica Diamonds since their promotion into the top-flight league, succeeding Luke Masomere and Nhumwa. And in only their third season in the Premiership, they have managed to finish second.
“The 2023 season has good memories; it is worth remembering. We will always think about it, and this is for everyone in the Eastern Highlands,” Tapera added.
“We competed very well despite the challenges we faced. It’s a very good history for the club.”
Because of challenges with player fatigue, Tapera and his technical staff — who also include Patrick Mandizha, Tafadzwa Mashiri and Tembinkosi Sibanda — were always on the internet, researching on how to deal with the problem.
“Imagine, the only time we played near Mutare was probably around 700km, to and from Gibbo.
“It was heavy travelling throughout the season and we had issues with fatigue, recovery time and burnout. So, I want to applaud the boys for soldiering on.
“It’s very difficult dealing with fatigue and we had to involve everybody, including psychologists, to talk to the boys.”
He is also happy with the support he has received at the club.
“But, all in all, we are happy with the progress. We salute those who started this project.
“We also applaud the executive, who are very good at identifying leaders to spearhead this Manica Diamonds project.
“When we came, so many quarters were not convinced with our appointment. But I came in with the experience of building a project, which I gained from my days at FC Platinum,” said Tapera.
“I started with FC Platinum from the First Division to what it is today. With teamwork, we can achieve more at Manica Diamonds.”
WISE . . . Jairos Tapera steered Manica Diamonds through difficulties in 2023