Bosso's Kaindu unfazed

Highlanders gaffer, Kevin Kaindu has described the Bulawayo giants' 2-0 defeat by arch-rivals Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium in Harare on Sunday as an eye opener ahead of their Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign which is set to begin in a fortnight.

The Zambian coach told The Zimbabwe Mail that the game against their arch-rivals had been an eye-opener, giving him an ample time to work on the Bulawayo giants' grey areas as they seek to shed their bridesmaid tag that has become synonymous with the club in his time as head of the technical team.

"I was happy with the performance though I was not happy with the result. But we should not read much into the defeat, as for us, the game was an eye-opener that highlighted areas that we need to work on and improve as we prepare for the new season," he said.

"I think what we want to work on is the composition of the team with the aim of continuing from where we left off last season, and possibly win the league championship."

Highlanders have bolstered their squad over the past few months, securing the services of experienced defender Felix Chindungwe from cross-town rivals Chicken Inn, two-time soccer star finalist Charles Sibanda from FC Platinum, exciting winger Kudakwashe Mahachi on a short-term loan from South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns and Valentine Ndaba, among others.

And the Highlanders mentor believes the new additions would aid the team's cause though he admitted he was still working on the combinations.

"We are still trying to come up with different combinations since we have several new players who have joined us from different clubs and it will take a bit of time to have the right ones, but I am confident we will have a formidable team by the start of the season.

Meanwhile, Bosso captain Innocent Mapuranga has shrugged off the loss to Dynamos, insisting it was nothing to write home about.

Mapuranga is convinced Highlanders will be the team to beat once the league programme rolls into life.

"We are coming from the off-season and we are trying new combinations, but we believe we have a strong team that can compete for the title, and I am confident that this year we are going to change things," said the Bosso captain.

Turning to events that took place at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday, Mapuranga said it was unfortunate that Bosso had lost the game despite matching their opponents for the better part of the first half in the middle of the park.

"The game was good, but unfortunately we lost the game, it is now water under bridge and now we have to go back to the drawing board and work hard, rectify our mistakes as we prepare for the upcoming season," said Mapuranga.