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Erol Akbay

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
“GO and play for your contracts” — this is what Highlanders coach Erol Akbay told his charges during the pre-match team talk ahead of the encounter against Chicken Inn in the Premiership.

The Bosso lads positively took the message and went on to throw spanners into Chicken Inn’s title hopes as they handed the Gamecocks a 4-0 drubbing.

This was Highlanders’ biggest scoring victory of the season. Before this tie, Highlanders’ best win was a 3-0 victory over Hwange on June 18.

Already out of the title race and knocked out of the Chibuku Super Cup, pride is all that Highlanders are playing for and with most senior players’ contracts running out, it is in their best interests to perform and try to secure their stay at Bosso.

When they played Chicken Inn who wanted nothing short of a win to keep their hopes of a title alive, Bosso turned on the heat playing purposeful football that left many feeling shortchanged with the team’s recent poor performance.

Leading up to Chicken Inn’s encounter, Highlanders had gone on an eight-match winless streak — seven league games (four losses and three draws) and a cup game.

Highlanders’ last victory was on July 30, when they beat Shabanie Mine 2-0 in Zvishavane.

Written off ahead of the Chicken Inn game and having been held to a 0-0 draw by youthful Bantu Rovers, Highlanders sprung from their slumber to crush the Gamecocks.

Simon Munawa got a brace for Highlanders with the other two goals coming from Godfrey Makaruse and Ralph Matema.

“The message was simple. I told the boys that we can’t be champions but today go and play for yourselves. I reminded them that if they want to be with the club next season, seeing that most contracts are about to end, they have to push themselves and show that they want to be at Highlanders. They did just that and I’m happy,” said Akbay.

The Dutch expatriate will not be with Highlanders next season meaning that most players have to impress whoever will be the next Bosso coach in the last matches of the year.

Akbay wants a top four finish, which might just be a “pipe dream” for the Dutchman as Highlanders are on eighth position with 37 points. Chicken Inn who are on position four are on 51 points, 14 ahead of Highlanders.

“A top-four finish is my best option now, there are many points between us and the top teams, but anything is possible. You never know with football anything can happen. Yesterday (Sunday), I saw a team that wants to win and I was very happy,” he said.

Highlanders who have an outstanding match against Caps United are left with seven more tricky games.

Their next encounter is a home game against championship chasing FC Platinum, followed by an away trip to Triangle United, then home to Black Rhinos, Hwange (away) and a local derby against How Mine. Bosso wrap the season with a home tie against Caps United.

In his parting shots, Akbay said: “I hope the bad luck is over following our win against Chicken Inn.”

@ZililoR