HIGHLANDERS forward Masimba Mambare is tipped to win the Player of the Year award.
TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The club honours its troops for their brave show in the just-ended campaign at their end-of-year awards ceremony set for Friday. And Mambare — also in the running for the Castle Lager Footballer of the Year award — is a favourite to land the Player of the Year award with goalkeeper Arial Sibanda likely to win the Players’ Player of the Year award.
Mambare had a fruitful season with Bosso since joining the Bulawayo giants from Motor Action at the beginning of the season and his work ethic saw him netting 11 goals.
Sibanda has already bagged the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Goalkeeper of the Year after conceding only 14 goals in the 29 matches he played this season.
Besides the two awards, the Most Loyal Player will also be honoured. From the look of things, Erick Mudzingwa will be in the running. Young Ozias Zibande is tipped for the Most Promising Player, while Peter Moyo could bag the Rookie of the Year award.
Veteran skipper Innocent Mapuranga could be honoured as the club’s Most Disciplined Player.
The Most Improved and Most Consistent Players will also be honoured. Other players likely to be recognised for their outstanding performances are Bruce Kangwa, Mthulisi Maphosa, and Knox Mtizwa.
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Highlanders chairman Peter Dube confirmed the club would hold their annual awards ceremony on Friday, but declined to go into more details.
“It’s premature for me to go into detail, but we will be holding our annual awards ceremony on Friday. Our sponsors, BancABC, will bankroll the awards,” said Dube.
While it is the second successive time for Dynamos players to be rewarded by sponsors BancABC after winning the league title last season, it will be the first time for Highlanders players to receive the end-of-year awards.
The two teams finished the season tied on 69 points, but Dynamos pipped their rivals to the trophy on superior goal difference Last week, champions Dynamos held their end-of-year awards ceremony bankrolled by BancABC in Harare with star player Denver Mukamba winning the Player of the Year award ($5 000) after helping the champions to complete a league and cup double.
Defender Patson Jaure was named the Players’ Player of the Year ($3 000) and Most Improved Player ($1 500), Farai Mupasiri, Rookie of the Year ($1 500), Tawanda Muparati, Most consistent ($1 500), Ocean Mushure, Most Disciplined ($1 250), while veteran midfielder Desmond Maringwa — a product of the Dynamos juniors who has played for only Dynamos in his career — was named the Most Loyal Player, getting $1 000.
