Sports / Local
All set for Bosso, How Mine clash
30 Nov 2013 at 03:28hrs | Views
ORGANISERS of the Mbada Diamonds Cup expect a capacity crowd to converge at Barbourfields today and bring the curtain down on an explosive and dramatic 2013 domestic football season when favourites Highlanders and giant-killers How Mine battle for honours.
The cheapest tickets, as has been the norm during the tournament, have been pegged at US$1 and that is expected to lure a capacity crowd of about 22 000 to Barbourfields for the showdown between the city's oldest, and most successful football club, and its youngest Premiership team.
It's the first all-Bulawayo battle for the premier knock-out football tournament in the country in 51 years and, irrespective of the outcome, the City of Kings will provide the winner of the biggest Cup competition in the country for the first time in a dozen years.
Highlanders, as they have so often done in proudly flying their city's flag very high in football tournaments in the country, were the last winners of the premier knock-out football tournament in the country in 2001 when they whipped Masvingo United 4-1 in the Zifa Unity Cup.
Bosso were also the last club from Bulawayo to feature in the final of the biggest knock-out football tournament in the country six years ago when they reached the final of the CBZ FA Cup but lost 1-2 to bitter rivals Dynamos after extra-time at Barbourfields.
This afternoon, Kelvin Kaindu and his men, having come very close to winning the league championship in the last two years only to lose out on goal difference, have a golden chance to win a major piece of silverware in their backyard and give their fans something to cheer their spirits in this festive season.
Highlanders have already been beaten twice by How Mine in league assignments this year but, as the miners know very well, a Cup Final, and the electric atmosphere that it generates, is a different ball game altogether.
Kaindu said his charges were unfortunate to lose both the league matches as he felt they were the better team in the two games.
The Zambian mentor feels his charges have done very well, to get this far in the competition, after falling early in the past two seasons.
"It means a lot for Highlanders to be playing in the Cup Final because very few teams get to reach this far," said Kaindu
"We have to give it our best shot because there are good cash incentives which I know could take the team to a better level.
"We have played them twice and lost but the results do not reflect the true complexion of those games.
"I think we failed to get goals and we should be scoring this time."
The Zambian mentor believes his players will give him a piece of silverware that he will treasure and celebrate with his family when he returns home to Zambia for the Easter break.
A devout Christian, who always believes that "it shall be well," Kaindu has indicated that he wants to continue with his coaching spell at Bosso where he has led them to the silver medals, in the championship race, in the past two years.
Winning the championship, which he has missed by a whisker twice now, remains the ultimate goal.
Bruce Kangwa has been their outstanding outfield player this season and the Bosso camp has been cheered by the news that unsettled forward, Masimba Mambare, has committed his future to the club despite reports on the social media sites indicating that he was on his way out of the club.
Mambare took the unusual step this week to go on Facebook to dismiss reports that he was angling for a move away from Bosso after being booed by a section of the club's fans in their last match.
By his own admission, Mambare has been a pale shadow of the player who shone like a beacon last year and chances are that, if he had exploded this season, Bosso would have been champions.
How Mine coach Philani Ncube was yesterday taking easy it easy ahead of his team's biggest game in their history.
Ncube is happy that his team has reached the final and now feels that they need to lift the trophy and cap off a memorable maiden season in the Premiership.
How Mine dethroned holders Dynamos at the quarter-finals stage and then sent CAPS United tumbling out of the tournament.
"The feeling of reaching the final of a major Cup final is just amazing for us. We are happy to get where we are now," said Ncube yesterday.
"Football is no longer about a big teams or small teams but it's all about setting targets and taking your chances.
"We looked at the Mbada Diamonds Cup campaign and saw that its only four games to win the trophy and the road is shorter than the 30 matches needed to win the league championship.
"So we said we could do it and now we are in the final," said Ncube.
Ncube believes How Mine remain the underdogs despite going into the game with all the bragging rights of having ousted Dynamos and CAPS United, two teams that Bosso failed to beat in the league this season.
"We defeated them twice in the league but this is a different game and I know that Highlanders will be better prepared and I hope we have also done so.
"It will be 50-50," he said.
Veterans Herbert Dick, former Bosso skipper Gilbert Banda, ageless Menard Mupera, former CAPS United captain Nyasha Mukumbi, ex-Dynamos defender Khumbulani Banda have been using their football brains and experience to steer this team to scale lofty heights this season.
Goalkeeper Ephraim "Mopao" Mazarura has also been a rock in his comeback season in the domestic Premiership.
"Thanks for the Mbada Diamonds roadshow, we had time to visit the Old People's Home and Children's Home," Mazarura wrote on his Facebook page yesterday.
"We mix and mingle with our opponents, it was so lovely, touching and (there was) sportsmanship, hope the same spirit will prevail tomorrow (today) and the best team of the day wins. The road to Mbada Final was not easy, we had to go past the giants Dynamos and CAPS, now we meet another wounded giant in a Bulawayo Derby.
"Let's go out with the same spirit and enjoy ourselves."
The cheapest tickets, as has been the norm during the tournament, have been pegged at US$1 and that is expected to lure a capacity crowd of about 22 000 to Barbourfields for the showdown between the city's oldest, and most successful football club, and its youngest Premiership team.
It's the first all-Bulawayo battle for the premier knock-out football tournament in the country in 51 years and, irrespective of the outcome, the City of Kings will provide the winner of the biggest Cup competition in the country for the first time in a dozen years.
Highlanders, as they have so often done in proudly flying their city's flag very high in football tournaments in the country, were the last winners of the premier knock-out football tournament in the country in 2001 when they whipped Masvingo United 4-1 in the Zifa Unity Cup.
Bosso were also the last club from Bulawayo to feature in the final of the biggest knock-out football tournament in the country six years ago when they reached the final of the CBZ FA Cup but lost 1-2 to bitter rivals Dynamos after extra-time at Barbourfields.
This afternoon, Kelvin Kaindu and his men, having come very close to winning the league championship in the last two years only to lose out on goal difference, have a golden chance to win a major piece of silverware in their backyard and give their fans something to cheer their spirits in this festive season.
Highlanders have already been beaten twice by How Mine in league assignments this year but, as the miners know very well, a Cup Final, and the electric atmosphere that it generates, is a different ball game altogether.
Kaindu said his charges were unfortunate to lose both the league matches as he felt they were the better team in the two games.
The Zambian mentor feels his charges have done very well, to get this far in the competition, after falling early in the past two seasons.
"It means a lot for Highlanders to be playing in the Cup Final because very few teams get to reach this far," said Kaindu
"We have to give it our best shot because there are good cash incentives which I know could take the team to a better level.
"We have played them twice and lost but the results do not reflect the true complexion of those games.
"I think we failed to get goals and we should be scoring this time."
The Zambian mentor believes his players will give him a piece of silverware that he will treasure and celebrate with his family when he returns home to Zambia for the Easter break.
A devout Christian, who always believes that "it shall be well," Kaindu has indicated that he wants to continue with his coaching spell at Bosso where he has led them to the silver medals, in the championship race, in the past two years.
Winning the championship, which he has missed by a whisker twice now, remains the ultimate goal.
Bruce Kangwa has been their outstanding outfield player this season and the Bosso camp has been cheered by the news that unsettled forward, Masimba Mambare, has committed his future to the club despite reports on the social media sites indicating that he was on his way out of the club.
By his own admission, Mambare has been a pale shadow of the player who shone like a beacon last year and chances are that, if he had exploded this season, Bosso would have been champions.
How Mine coach Philani Ncube was yesterday taking easy it easy ahead of his team's biggest game in their history.
Ncube is happy that his team has reached the final and now feels that they need to lift the trophy and cap off a memorable maiden season in the Premiership.
How Mine dethroned holders Dynamos at the quarter-finals stage and then sent CAPS United tumbling out of the tournament.
"The feeling of reaching the final of a major Cup final is just amazing for us. We are happy to get where we are now," said Ncube yesterday.
"Football is no longer about a big teams or small teams but it's all about setting targets and taking your chances.
"We looked at the Mbada Diamonds Cup campaign and saw that its only four games to win the trophy and the road is shorter than the 30 matches needed to win the league championship.
"So we said we could do it and now we are in the final," said Ncube.
Ncube believes How Mine remain the underdogs despite going into the game with all the bragging rights of having ousted Dynamos and CAPS United, two teams that Bosso failed to beat in the league this season.
"We defeated them twice in the league but this is a different game and I know that Highlanders will be better prepared and I hope we have also done so.
"It will be 50-50," he said.
Veterans Herbert Dick, former Bosso skipper Gilbert Banda, ageless Menard Mupera, former CAPS United captain Nyasha Mukumbi, ex-Dynamos defender Khumbulani Banda have been using their football brains and experience to steer this team to scale lofty heights this season.
Goalkeeper Ephraim "Mopao" Mazarura has also been a rock in his comeback season in the domestic Premiership.
"Thanks for the Mbada Diamonds roadshow, we had time to visit the Old People's Home and Children's Home," Mazarura wrote on his Facebook page yesterday.
"We mix and mingle with our opponents, it was so lovely, touching and (there was) sportsmanship, hope the same spirit will prevail tomorrow (today) and the best team of the day wins. The road to Mbada Final was not easy, we had to go past the giants Dynamos and CAPS, now we meet another wounded giant in a Bulawayo Derby.
"Let's go out with the same spirit and enjoy ourselves."
Source - herald
