Ref awards Bosso a dubious penalty

BULAWAYO giants Highlanders put up another poor performance at Barbourfields in the 1-1 draw against How Mine yesterday, and Bosso probably have referee Arnold Ncube to thank for awarding them a somewhat dubious penalty that was converted by the in-form Knox Mutizwa to claim a draw against the impressive gold miners.

Timothy January had given the visiting gold miners an early lead in the 11th minute before in-form forward Knox Mutizwa slotted home the controversial penalty in the 73rd minute after Ncube adjudged that a How Mine defender Nelson Tachi had brought down striker Thomas Chideu, when it was instead the youngster who appeared to have fouled the defender.

So poor were Highlanders that even their die hard fans celebrated the stalemate as if the game had been won. It was a rather unusual sight to see Bosso fans celebrating a draw the way they did yesterday, but if one takes into account their performances at Barbourfields Stadium, the jubilation begins to make sense.

Before the turn of the millennium, Barbourfields was a slaughter house for any visiting side with the men in black and white blowing away their opponents with polished performances punctuated by skill and effective ruthlessness.

Barbourfields was every visiting team's nightmare then and their fans were almost always assured of maximum points at Emagumeni. But alas, how times have changed. Draws are now major accomplishments at Barbourfields.

Just last week, Bosso players revealed a secret that might continue to haunt them each time they run onto the pitch at Barbourfields.

Goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda told this publication that Highlanders players were afraid to play at Barbourfields because of the hostility of the home fans and felt more at ease whenever they played away.

Even coach Bongani Mafu has also raised his concerns about lack of home support and appealed to the fans to back his men despite them not playing well, promising to make Barbourfields a fortress that visiting teams would find tough to grind results at.

However, by the evidence of yesterday's performance, the players probably showed why they are frightened playing there with a meek and uninspiring display.

Mafu's objective is sure to remain a pipe dream. His men played well below par and for whatever reason, they have struggled at home this season and dropped far too many points.

Despite the restless Bosso fans coming in their thousands and heeding Mafu's plea to urge his men on even when they were on the back foot, everything was lacking. They had lots of space but didn't play and lacked aggression. They lost the ball during very simple transitions and were not intense and could have easily lost had How Mine been more clinical.

Maybe the players were right after all to reveal that Barbourfields scares them, and as long as they have that fear, Emagumeni might actually turn into Bosso's fortress of fear.