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Erol Akbay

Paul Mundandi in Zvishavane
HIGHLANDERS coach Erol Akbay has pleaded with restless Bosso fans, saying they must keep on believing.

Bosso have been blowing hot and cold lately and some of their fans threw in the towel after defeats by Chicken Inn and Bulawayo City.

The departure of talented young striker Prince Dube made things worse, with fans questioning who would score for the Bulawayo giants.

However, Akbay (above) threw young Ray Lunga into the fray on Sunday against Shabanie and the youngster showed what a gem he could be for Bosso if properly mentored.

Bosso could have won by a wider margin had veteran Ralph Matema been more accurate in front of goal.

Besides scoring the second goal, Matema fluffed numerous clear cut chances after being sent through by the exciting Lunga, who tormented the Shabanie defence each time he was in possession.

His ball artistry could have provided the Bosso fans with a chance to see Akbay dancing on the pitch had he scored a goal, but he was unlucky as his effort was saved by goalkeeper Samuel Mafukidze.

“I am appealing to Highlanders fans to be patient. We are still in the race because we still have 17 games to go. I am happy that we are still within reach and are very close to the platinum teams (FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars).

“We might have lost good players in the transfer window and we might not have the financial muscle to buy good players on the market, but I believe that the players we have can give us something at the end of the day if they continue working hard,” said Akbay.

He wants the league title and believes he can do it with Bosso, as long as he gets full support from all stakeholders that believe in the team.

Bosso fans also showed Akbay that they still believed in the team when they brought Zvishavane to a standstill after the match.

They blocked traffic along Robert Mugabe highway as they danced, “baptising” each car that passed with a Highlanders flag.

It’s something they had missed for years and they were applauded for not throwing missiles onto the field.

They were not violent even as they celebrated on the Zvishavane streets, something that was a marvel to behold.