HARARE Limping Bulawayo giants Highlanders host their bogey Premier Soccer League side Lengthens at Barbourfields today hoping to grab maximum points after a bad start to the season by Mohammed Fathy's charges. (Pictured: Bosso coach Mohammed Fathy Says media pi
Highlanders have always found the going tough against Harare side Lengthens, popularly known as the Happy People. In their meetings in the Premiership race last season Lengthens edged the Bulawayo side 1-0 in Harare with the return leg in Bulawayo ending in a 0-0 stalemate.
If statistics are anything to go by, then Highlanders could come out unstuck again against the Mandla Masuku-coached side. However, the Happy People are not as happy these days owing to a host of on and off the field problems in their camp that culminated in the side getting a 5-0 hiding from champions Gunners last weekend.
In their previous match Lengthens had fallen 0-1 to Harare giants Dynamos. They have won just once and drawn once in all their five matches so far. The heavy defeat to Gunners was attributed to low morale in their camp amid reports that players have gone for several months without salaries and in the past week they were receiving a paltry US$1 a day to help them attend training sessions.
And now they are expected to come up with a positive result from Barbourfields. But then again, Bosso have their own problems which have become worrisome to Egyptian mentor Fathy who is under immense pressure to deliver after managing just two wins from the five matches the former champions have played so far.
Highlanders fell 1-0 to bitter rivals Dynamos in a league match in Harare before Premiership returnees Shabanie Mine and CAPS United further compounded their woes with each posting victory over Bosso in their previous two matches.
Bosso will also miss the services of influential captain Gilbert Banda and Zephania Ngodzo who are with the national team in Seychelles.
Fathy refused to talk to The Zimbabwean on Sunday last week arguing the media was putting unnecessary pressure on his team.
But Lengthens coach Masuku said although morale was low in their camp they were trying to do their best to psyche up the players for the showdown against Highlanders.
“We are going there with the aim to beat Highlanders. Of course we are facing challenges to do with players salaries but that is being looked into by the team management. My job is to concentrate on the field of play and I am trying to raise the spirit in the camp so that by the time we leave for Bulawayo we will be ready for the battle,” Masuku told The Zimbabwean on Sunday.
Fixtures: Today Highlanders v Lengthens (Barbourfields), FC Victoria v Eagles (Mucheke)
Midweek: Thursday Dynamos v Shooting Stars (Rufaro), Gunners v Hwange (Gwanzura), Shabanie Mine v CAPS United (Maglas).
Post published in: Football