NEW Simba Bhora gaffer Mandla Mpofu is not pulling any punches.
After a winning start to his tenure, the former Highlanders and Bulawayo City coach has declared that the squad he inherited is built for one purpose: returning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League trophy to Shamva.
Mpofu’s era began on a high note this past weekend with a valuable 1-0 victory over Manica Diamonds at a waterlogged Gibbo Stadium in Triangle.
In a match played on a surface that resembled a swamp more than a football pitch, it took until the dying embers for the deadlock to break.
Winger Carlos Makambira emerged as the hero, scoring a late winner that sent the travelling supporters into a frenzy.
The victory serves as a statement of intent for a club that clinched the title in 2024, in only their second season in the top flight.
According to Mpofu, the club’s leadership has made his objectives crystal clear.
“Simba Bhora are former champions. They tested the championship before, and they want a repeat of that,” he said.
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“When I joined, I was told, ‘coach, we don’t want anything else. This is a championship team, nothing else’. So we are playing to be number one like any other team.”
Despite a significant squad overhaul during the off-season, Mpofu is confident in the quality of his new recruits.
The club dipped into the international market and secured the signatures of two Namibian internationals Tevin Naweseb and Leevi Alfeus, and Malawian international defender Lawrence Chaziya.
While Chaziya and Naweseb made their debuts at Gibbo, Alfeus was sidelined with a knock sustained during the pre-season Barnabas Mushunje memorial match against Agama in February.
Mpofu was full of praise for the trio’s potential impact on the local game.
“All of them are playing for their national teams. I want to give credit to the club management because they went for quality. You can see the three players are top quality,” he remarked.
“They are going to change the complexion of our Zimbabwe football. They are total, pure talent.”
The rebuilding exercise was not limited to foreign stars.
Simba Bhora has also bolstered its squad with seasoned local campaigners, including Claude “Pokello” Mapoka, Adrian Silla and Tichaona Chipunza, while bustling striker Harrison Masina returned from loan.
While Mpofu acknowledges that it may take time for the new-look side to fully gel, the early signs are promising.
After navigating the tricky away fixture against Manica Diamonds who are using Gibbo due to Sakubva Stadium failing homologation, their next test comes this Saturday as they return to their Wadzanayi Stadium fortress to host newly-promoted Hunters.
They will be looking to maintain their good record in Shamva and prove that the spirit of 2024 is very much alive.
Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Matchday Two fixtures
Tomorrow: Scottland v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Rufaro)
Saturday: MWOS v TelOne (Ngoni), Simba Bhora v Hunters (Wadzanayi), FC Platinum v Manica Diamonds (Mandava), ZPC Kariba v Hardrock (Nyamhunga), Chicken Inn v Triangle (Barbourfields), Caps United v Herentals College (Rufaro)
Sunday: Agama v Bulawayo Chiefs (Wadzanayi), Dynamos v Highlanders (Rufaro)
