After weeks of inactivity and the uncertainty of their next competitive game, Highlanders have improvised to try and retain a competitive spirit in camp.
FORTUNE MBELE
Bosso’s league match against Dynamos was cancelled and both teams are not sure when they will play their next competitive match.
Highlanders coach Madinda Ndlovu has thrown in incentives for his players to gain some competitive practice.
The team sought donations for incentives so that the team could be divided into two camps that will fight it out for a prize.
“Today (yesterday), we have just created a competitive situation to ask our players to play for a certain prize at training so that there is a competitive spirit so that we keep the momentum at some level for competition,” Ndlovu said.
“We are living on the edge right now. We might or might not play, so we would rather stay ready. That is why we have created this kind of atmosphere today. We just asked for donations from well-wishers for the prize and it’s a winners’ take all. Whether it’s a goat or a cow, I will hear from the manager later. We are trying to retain that competitive spirit that has always been there.”
From the club’s 30 players in the senior team, Ndlovu was due to select Team A to play against Team B, which will be under his assistant Mandla Mpofu.
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The gaffer said they had been training as usual, but could not measure how the long break had affected his team until they play a competitive league game.
“There is no way we can measure how the long break has affected us until we play a competitive game. We are just training and training without any competition,” he said.
The positive aspect of the break is that three of his players who were injured are back in training, while striker Thabo Lunga is still sidelined.
“Most of the players that were reported injured have started training except for Thabo (Lunga). We still have to see how far they have recovered after we start playing games. We cannot ascertain the level of recovery at this stage, but they are all training,” Ndlovu added.
The players include defenders Bukhosi Ncube, Mbongeni Ndlovu and Honest Moyo.
Ndlovu spoke glowingly of striker Tafadzwa Sibanda, grabbed from TelOne in the Zifa Central Region Division One and attacking midfielder Denzel Khumalo promoted from Highlanders’ developmental side Bosso 90.
They also signed former How Mine striker Tinashe Makanda.
After beating Herentals and Triangle after the unforeseen break, Highlanders are sitting on position four on the log table with 35 points from 20 games.
