Zimpapers Logo

Descent Dube, Sports Reporter

HIGHLANDERS coach Madinda Ndlovu said he has brilliant players who have what it takes to turn around the fortunes and supporters must remain patient until the team gets its first win of the season.

Speaking at the club’s weekly press conference yesterday, Ndlovu assured supporters of his players’ dedication and said they will give it their all against league debutants TelOne at Barbourfields on Sunday.

“I’m not yet panicking. The only problem we’re having is putting the ball in the net and I know that we’re doing everything right. We will continue playing our normal game and that means we won’t change our passing style. I can promise that if we hammer one of the teams, we will never look back,” said Ndlovu.

He dismissed the possibility of permanently dropping one of his attacking players from the team despite misfiring in league matches.

“I wish people were at training to see how the boys are scoring and you wonder why that form can’t be repeated in official matches. I remain optimistic, I just want the boys to enjoy the game and have freedom.

“We think we’ve put together a formidable team stronger than our opponents, but the worrying factor is our failure to score goals. It’s no secret that the boys are missing, but we also wouldn’t want to put pressure on them,” said Ndlovu.

Highlanders have scored just two goals in eight matches courtesy of a spot kick from captain and goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda against Mushowani Stars, and Prince Dube’s strike in the 1-3 loss to Harare City.

“It’s is the same old story of missing chances, but we can’t say so and so is responsible (for lack of goals). All our attacking players have started a match, played together and benched to pave way for other players, but there are still no goals coming. 

“We’re Highlanders and we’re expected to win every match. For example, no one is talking about (Triangle coach Taurai) Mangwiro, but we’ll take that as a compliment and try to win our next match then results will follow,” Ndlovu said. 

He asserted that Bosso would not be relegated under his watch, saying his technical team will continue to motivate the players to soldier on and find a breakthrough.

“We have been sharing ideas on finding a solution for this catastrophic situation we find ourselves in. Shortly we will be announcing names of professionals that will come and help the boys because the players encounter supporters almost every day on the streets and they tend to vent their frustrations, hence the importance of supporting them mentally.

“One positive thing I know for sure is that the board, executive and technical team are doing everything possible to turn the tables around. It’s important for players now to hear a different voice as we’re doing everything according to the book to ensure the team makes a drastic turnaround.

 “The situation is worrying so we’ve decided to give the boys a relaxed kind of training so that they clear their minds and focus on what is at hand, which is to try and win games. We are criticised for not posting positive results, but people must be rest assured that the team will not vanish,” Ndlovu said. — @DecoDecent20