Hwange Turns Football Hotspot as the Big Boys Come to Town
Peter Moyo
HWANGE is set for a weekend of high-profile knockout football as Zimbabwean giants Dynamos and Highlanders descend on Colliery Stadium for back-to-back Munhumutapa Challenge Cup Round of 32 matches.
Dynamos face Hwange FC at 3pm today, Saturday 8 August, before Highlanders take on Southern Region Division One side Blackrock FC at the same venue at 3pm on Sunday.
The two fixtures were originally scheduled differently but were reshuffled by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), bringing Dynamos’ clash with Hwange forward to Saturday and moving Highlanders’ encounter with Blackrock to Sunday.
The changes mean Colliery Stadium will host two of the competition’s headline fixtures on consecutive days, putting the coal-mining town at the centre of Zimbabwean football attention this weekend.
ZIFA had earlier confirmed that Colliery Stadium remained approved to host the matches following concerns over the suitability of some venues.
“Highlanders and Dynamos will travel to the Colliery Stadium for their matches this weekend,” ZIFA spokesperson Mike Madoda said.
Hwange, meanwhile, will be looking to produce a major upset against their Premier Soccer League opponents on home turf. “This is a massive weekend for Hwange. We don’t get to see clubs like Dynamos and Highlanders playing here every week, so I’m hoping supporters come out in numbers and enjoy the football. Of course, as a Hwange fan, I want us to beat Dynamos,” said Trymore Ndlovu, a staunch Hwange fan.
The Munhumutapa Challenge Cup is being played on a straight knockout basis, meaning there is no room for a poor result for either side if they are to continue in the competition.
Sunday will bring another major test for a lower-division side when Blackrock face Highlanders. An excited Blackrock fan, Lloyd Sibanda is looking forward to this huge match, the biggest for his club. “Playing Highlanders is a big opportunity for our players. Nobody expects us to win, but that’s what makes cup football exciting. We just want the boys to believe in themselves and give everything on the pitch.”
The weekend therefore offers Hwange football supporters a rare opportunity to watch two of Zimbabwe’s most prominent clubs in competitive action on successive days.
For the local clubs, the stakes are equally high as both Hwange and Blackrock are chasing progress against top-flight opposition, while Dynamos and Highlanders will be expected to avoid early exits from a competition in which the Round of 32 is being contested on a knockout basis.
