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Herbert Dick

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter—
FORMER national team and Bantu Rovers FC steely defender Herbert Dick, 35, will hang his football boots at the end of the season after 17 years of playing in the topflight division. Dick is bracing himself for an emotional end of his career with his last competitive match likely to be at his home town, Kadoma where he started his career. Bantu Rovers will on Week 30 be away to Black Rhinos who play their home games at Kadoma’s Rimuka Stadium.

“I have decided it’s time I hang my boots at the end of the season and God willing, it might be at Rimuka Stadium where it all began for me. It will be a fine cap to my illustrious career if I were to be in the team that will travel to Kadoma because that’s my home town which I have fond memories of,” said Dick.

“I have had a wonderful career that even took me to Europe where I played for Legia Warsaw in Poland. Winning the championship with AmaZulu is also something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Through football, I was able to travel and see places that I never dreamt I would see while growing up and even made lots of friends along the way.”

The Kadoma-bred Dick made a name for himself turning out for Zifa Northern Region Division One Soccer club New Zimbabwe in the 1990s and made his Premiership debut for his home town team Eiffel Flats in 1997.

He then joined AmaZulu in 2001 at the age of 23 and went on to be a vital cog at Usuthu, winning the Premiership title with the club in 2003 after beating city rivals Highlanders by a point.

The year they won the championship, AmaZulu garnered 51 points from 26 outings.
Dick left AmaZulu at the end of the 2005 season when the club was relegated from the topflight and joined Monomotapa after his return from the Africa Cup of Nations which were held in Egypt. Dick had been a replacement for the injured Dumisani Mpofu at the continental showpiece.

Former Warriors coach Wieslaw Grabowski facilitated a pre-trial medical for Dick at Legia Warsaw in September 2006 and the defender reportedly made a huge impression at the club who then drafted him into their squad without even offering him a customary trial.

At the beginning of 2007 he left for Legia Warsaw in the company of former Hwange and Monomotapa striker Takesure Chinyama as well as his defensive partner Dickson Choto.

After spending just over a year in Poland, Dick returned home to join Highlanders in 2008 and the following season he switched over to Bantu Rovers who had bought a franchise from Eastern Lions and left them when they were relegated at the end of the 2010 season.

At the beginning of 2011 he joined Chicken Inn who were making their debut Premiership appearance and spent two seasons before spending last year at How Mine who had won promotion.

Dick then rejoined Bantu Rovers during the present mid-season transfer window in a bid to save them from the chop.
“It will be great if we manage to save the club from sinking because we have been playing well but just unfortunate not to win. There are a number of youngsters in the team with a bright future and I believe if kept together, they can turn out to be forces to reckon with in the near future,” he said.