Remembering BF turf, roaring crowd Highlanders fans celebrate

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
WALKING from the dugout onto the Barbourfields Stadium turf in the black and white striped Highlanders’ jersey and hearing the crowd bursting into an uncontrollable frenzy when one scores is the best feeling ever.

This was said by two former Highlanders teammates Gabriel Nyoni and Milton Ncube, describing their time at Bosso during home games.

Both players vividly remember the first time they jerked supporters out their seats with their debut goals, which coincidentally were at the Soweto End in the 2013 season when Highlanders were still being coached by Zambian Kelvin Kaindu.

Gabriel Nyoni

The fascinating thing is that the two forwards combined in the build up to the goal, with Ncube providing for Nyoni to finish. Many Highlanders fans will remember the wild celebrations by Nyoni when he removed his shorts and waved them at the fans, as he ran the whole length of the pitch after scoring in Bosso’s 2-0 win over Monomotapa.

Ncube’s opener for Bosso was in a tightly contested match against police side Black Mambas.

Nyoni is now with South African side Mariztburg United, while Ncube called time on his playing career and relocated to the United Kingdom to reunite with his family.

“Walking into Barbourfields felt like I was carrying the happiness and hopes of people beyond football and that made me give my all for the team. Whenever I scored, the sudden thought of knowing that I have just made thousands of people happy made me go wild. Shorts off ,” Nyoni wrote on Twitter.

The left -footed Ncube, who was comfortable both as a defender and forward, also wrote on Twitter that he will forever remember his debut goal in a game Bosso beat Black Mambas 2-1.

“I think euphoric is the word, excitement and happiness. I still remember scoring my first goal for Highlanders at that end (Soweto) and it is a feeling I will never forget. Having experienced the Soweto End as a fan and seeing most of my friends and family in that (end) made it more special. I have scored a few goals at BF, but there is no greater feeling than to score at the Soweto End. I remember during our days we used to attack the Soweto End in the first half and most of the teams couldn’t handle it,” wrote Ncube.

In tomorrow’s issue, we feature Englandbased former Dynamos captain Memory Mucherahowa saying going to play in Bulawayo was a terrifying experience.

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