BORDER Strikers coach Saul Chaminuka has blamed his team’s dreadful form, which has seen the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League newboys lose all their five matches to date, on the trips they have to make in and out of Beitbridge weekly since their home ground, Dulibadzimu Stadium, cannot host top-flight matches yet.
BY MUKUDZEI CHINGWERE
This weekend, Border Strikers will be on the road again even though they are supposed to be at home, when they host Hwange at Maglas Stadium in Zvishavane on Sunday.
“We are the most travelled team in the league. We do not have adequate time to prepare for games because we have to play all matches away from home,” he said.
“We are also the only team that has been playing without our 12th man (fans) to cheer us. Most of the teams that we play at Maglas are closer to Zvishavane than us.
“It was going to be better for us to play in Masvingo (at Mucheke Stadium) than Zvishavane. Even the condition of the stadium in Masvingo is better. We are a community team and we thrive on the support and assistance of the community. We cannot afford to travel for all our games.”
Not only have Border Strikers failed to win, they are also yet to score in all the five matches.
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Last week, some of the players staged a strike in protest against having to play all their matches away from home, since their proposed home ground does not meet the required standards.
Chaminuka said travelling week in week out had taken its toll on the players.
He said efforts to get their home ground to the required standards had been doubled and hoped they would soon start using Dulibadzimu.
“Authorities here are working on improving the condition of our stadium. I have seen a marked improvement of the stadium and I am confident the ground will meet the required standards,” Chaminuka said.
“The team now understands that, in the meantime, they have to accept the reality that Maglas is their home ground. We will continue working hard to improve our results though our biggest problem is not on the football pitch, but administration.”
