Two new faces at Bosso

FORMER Hwange and Motor Action player Fortune Ncube and Mighty Bulls defender Thembani Masuku were the only notable new faces during Highlanders' second day of pre-season fitness training at Hillside Dams under the watchful eye of coach Kelvin Kaindu yesterday.

For the second day running, reigning Soccer Star of the Year runner-up Masimba Mambare, Bruce Kangwa and Beavan Chikaka were conspicuous by their absence.

"Kangwa is still not feeling well while Mambare should be with us tomorrow.  Chikaka was expected to be here today and I am yet to find  out why he did not turn up," said Kaindu.

The Zambian said he would allow players trying their luck at the club to train with the team.

Like in their first day of training on Monday, the boys shook off some sweat by running around the park, a drill which seemed too much for midfielder Peter Rio Moyo. The dreadlocked player only came around after all the players had finished warming down and were preparing to leave.

Worried about Moyo's delayed return, Kaindu sent Mgcini Sibanda to look for Moyo as they feared he might have collapsed.

Meanwhile, the club executive is yet to finalise on the rest of their 2013 technical team line-up after all but one of their coaches' contracts expired at the end of last year.

Only the head coach Kaindu's contract signed last year, is still running while his backroom staff of assistant coach Bekithemba Ndlovu, goalkeepers' coach Tembo Chuma and welfare manager Amin Soma-Phiri as well as the entire junior coaches' contracts have expired.

Bosso started their pre-season preparations at Hillside dams under Kaindu on Monday afternoon.

"We met as usual on Monday evening but nothing was resolved on the issue you are talking about. The situation is still the same," said Highlanders chairman Peter Dube.

The medical team of Xolani Ndlovu and Nyika has been retained because it is a specialist department. They know the medical history of most of the players.

Sources at the club have hinted that the executive is going to retain the majority of the technical staff in both the senior and junior teams because they want continuity.

Those close to the goings-on revealed that coach Kaindu had indicated in his end of year report that he was happy with his lieutenants and would love to continue working with them.

"The delay in announcing their line-up could be differences among the executive members as they fear coming into a collision course with the man who nearly brought the league title for the first time in six years," said the source.

Dube has in previous interviews denied that they will make wholesome changes to the team, insisting however that they would, like any serious organisation, review the coaches' performance.

Changes look imminent in the juniors where the club's juniors from Under-14 to the Division Two team had a bad season.

Some names that have been touted for consideration include the legendary Douglas Mloyi for the manager's post. Mloyi was once a  manager during the Themba Ndlela era but his contract was not renewed in 2010 and was replaced by Jerry Sibanda whose contract was also not renewed by the same executive.

Willard Kumalo, Tito Paketh and Colsen Mabeza are some of the individuals likely to be considered.

Sibanda is now the acting executive treasurer and is likely to be made substantive by members during the club's elections next month.