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Jairos Tapera

Grace Chingoma Harare Bureau
YOUNG Warriors coach Jairos Tapera has called for thorough preparations in the second round of the 2017 Africa Under-20 Championship qualifier where his charges will meet a tougher opponent in Cameroon in three weeks’ time. After seeing off Botswana in the first round, with a 2-0 victory last Friday at Lobatse Sports Complex in Gaborone, the coach said there is need to change the manner in which they carried out their preparations.

The Zimbabwe Under-20 soccer team who had lost 0-1 at Barbourfieds in the first leg, overturned that deficit in style to set up a clash with West African powerhouse Cameroon, who were on a bye.

Zimbabwe and Bantu Rovers striker Bukhosi Sibanda headed just after 37 seconds of action and Dynamos defender Peace Makaha made it difficult for the hosts to chase the game when he got the second goal just before the breather.

But Tapera said they can’t afford to have poor preparations and hope to do well against a team like Cameroon and has proposed that they should at least camp for 10 days before they host Cameroon on May 20.

The return leg is on June 10 and the winner of the two legs will play in the last qualifying round in a bid for a place at next year’s tournament to be held in Zambia.

Prior to the second leg, the Young Warriors got into camp two days before a road trip to the neighbouring country. Now the former FC Platinum coach wants an improved arrangement.

“We’re at a developing stage when it comes to the junior teams and as such, we would need at least 10 days in camp and work on the way we would defend, respond in the box and a number of aspects.”

“The rest of the players, save for one or two are not getting game time at their teams so there shouldn’t be a problem in us going into camp. I’m sure after our exposure in this tournament, more players will start breaking into first teams at their clubs,” said Tapera.

The coach noted with concern that their opponents, Cameroon who had a bye in the preliminary round are taking the tie seriously and will on Friday play a friendly match against Ghana.

“We would also need to play a friendly match before this game and we can even drive to Zambia and play them. Zambia and South Africa have expressed their interest in playing us. South Africa was on a bye and want to shake off the rustiness with a preparatory match and they’ve expressed their willingness in playing us.

“I’ve raised this in my report to Zifa and hopefully they will work something out for us,” he said.

The junior teams, Tapera says, are the future generation and that production line to the senior team should not be starved but rather continuously churn out more stars.

“We pray to God we will have time to prepare,” said Tapera.

The gaffer paid tribute to the entire team for the strong focus in the make or break tie away assignment.

“It was a very good match. We may cry about preparations but I will give credit to the technical team which did a wonderful job motivating the players.

“We arrived on Wednesday in Botswana and said let’s forgo training and talk to the young boys and motivate them. It was such an intense, heartfelt talk and when we went for training on Thursday, you could see there was a big change in the boys’ attitude.

“We started the match brightly and about 37 seconds we had scored. We hit the nets just before we went to the breather and it was better for us. Botswana came at us heavily after the breather but we made one tactical change and we were able to hold on till the final whistle,” he said.

Tapera believes the coming in of Ngezi Platinum goalkeeper Nigel Chadya and Triangle defender Darryn Phiri, who stabilised the ship at the back paid dividends for the team.

The Zimbabwe youth teams returned to action this year following the lifting of the ban imposed by Caf making every country eligible ending a three-year exile by the Young Warriors Under-17 and Under-20 age groups.