Antipas joins squad Joey Antipas will be hoping that Chicken Inn don't choke again
Joey Antipas will be hoping that Chicken Inn don't choke again

Joey Antipas

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Caf Champions League representatives Chicken Inn yesterday welcomed back their coach Joey Antipas from holiday with the title winning gaffer expressing satisfaction with his players’ fitness levels ahead of next month’s tie against South African side Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Gamecocks started their pre-season training a fortnight ago without their head coach and were being taken through their paces by assistant coaches Prince Matore, Sikhumbuzo “China” Banda and Julius “Caesar” Ndlovu.

Chicken Inn open their 2016 season account on the weekend of February 12-14 when they play host to Sundowns in the first-leg of the Caf Champions League preliminary round with the reverse fixture set for South Africa two weeks later.

After yesterday’s two training sessions, Antipas was happy with his players’ attitude and is confident that his charges will be in great shape in three weeks’ time.

“From what I saw today, I must say the boys have really been working hard in the last two weeks. They seem to be in good shape and they are raring to go. As a technical team, what we’re trying to do is get these players match fit for the Sundowns’ game in a short space of time,” said Antipas.

“The difficult part is that some of our players are not here because of national duty, which makes it hard to work on combinations. However, there are positives in the sense that the guys who are with the Warriors will be fitter because they haven’t taken a break. They worked through the holidays but we still need time with them to gel with the guys who are here.”

Chicken Inn have four players, goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze, defender Lawrence Mhlanga and strikers Edmore Chirambadare and Moses Demera, with the locally-based Warriors squad at the on-going African Nations Championship (Chan).

Demera is one of four additions the Gamecocks made for the 2016 season having been signed from relegated PSL side Flame Lily.

The other three players that the champions registered for the Caf Champions League are former Dongo Sawmill striker Psywell Madhazi, veteran forward Obidiah Tarumbwa and defender Teenage Hadebe.

However, Tarumbwa and Hadebe, who spent the 2015 season on loan at Highlanders from Bantu Rovers, are yet to sign their contracts with the Gamecocks even though they agreed terms in principle.

“Tarumbwa and Hadebe haven’t been attending our training sessions because they’re finalising their contracts. They have indicated that they are keen to play for us and we hope to have them at our training sessions soon,” said Antipas.

Chicken Inn’s preparations have also been boosted by the return from injury of captain and Soccer Star of the Year Danny “Deco” Phiri, who is now doing light training.

Phiri seems to have speedily recovered from a tendon injury which had been expected to rule him out for about three weeks. Initially, the doctors had said the defensive midfielder, who missed out on captaining the national team at the Chan, will start training next week.

On Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane’s comments about Chicken Inn being a “very good side and tougher team”, Antipas said his South African counterpart is playing mind games.

The Brazilians, as Sundowns are affectionately known, boast of a wealth of talent compared to Chicken Inn.

Most of Sundowns’ players, who include Liberian forward Antony Laffour, Botswana’s attacking midfielder Mogakolodi Ngele, South Africans Teko

Modise, Keegan Dolly, Ramahlwe Mpahlele and Bongani Zungu, have represented their national teams.

Some of the internationals that are at Sundowns include the Zimbabwean duo of midfielder Khama Billiat and striker Cuthbert Malajila.

With such arsenal at his disposal, Mosimane could be trying to take pressure off his charges when they visit Zimbabwe.

“As it is, Sundowns are the team to beat in South Africa and they are in good form. We’re not reading much into Mosimane’s comments, which to me are mind games. What we promise to do is to go and do our best against Sundowns,” said Antipas.

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