HWANGE Football Club is still hit by a player crisis as the team enters its second week of preparations for the 2013 Castle Lager Premiership season without some of its key players. REPORT BY FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER
Head coach Nation Dube, who took over from Tennant Chilumba, yesterday said the majority of the senior players have not yet started coming for training – a week after preparations started.
Among the players that have not set foot at the Colliery are midfielders Farai Vimisai and Tawanda Mareya and Dube said he was not aware of the players’ whereabouts.
Dube said he has been made to assess players from Southern Region Division One side Hwange Juniors and from Division One sides from Bulawayo, Kwekwe and Gweru.
“Vimisai and Mareya, among a host of other senior players, have not attended training since we started our preparations. What I have are players from lower divisions from Bulawayo, Kwekwe and Gweru. And I am saying I will consider these boys if they show commitment because if the senior players don’t show up now how do they expect to be fit when the season starts?” Dube said.
Chipangano have lost four of their key players this year with the pair of Zambian international Aaron Katebe and goalkeeper Petros Mhari having joined Chilumba at FC Platinum.
Chilumba is now the head coach at the platinum miners.
Striker Francisco Zikumbawire has since joined champions Dynamos while right-back Tonisani Sibelo is training with fast-foods outlet side Chicken Inn in Bulawayo.
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Also absent from training at Hwange are senior players Ocean Mpofu, Tongai Mamhina, Winston Mhango and Kudakwashe Chipere.
Dube yesterday said the only senior players that have been at training are goalkeeper Timothy Sibanda, centre back Gerald Ndlovu, veterans David Boriwondo and Gilbert Zulu, Munyaradzi Mungadze and Oscar Lungu and 2011 Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year finalist Nkosana Siwela.
Captain Rodwell Chinyengetere is still nursing an injury sustained in Harare last year.
Hwange survived relegation by a whisker last season ending the season on position 11 with 36 points after only winning 10 of their 30 games, losing 14 and drawing six.
It was an unexpected slump for a team that ended the 2011 season on position four and represented the country in the 2012 Orange Caf Confederation Cup.
In that year, technical manager Chilumba was voted the Castle Lager Premiership coach of the year while Siwela made it into the calendar of stars.
