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Augustine Hwata Sports Reporter
MOSES Chunga has unveiled an ambitious plan to challenge for honours in the Premiership and warned his rivals that his Chiredzi Football Club project will not be in the top-flight to make up numbers when they make their debut this season.Chunga, a larger than life character, has been quietly working hard behind the scenes to assemble a team that will compete in the Premiership after he was dumped by Tongaat Hullet’s Hippo Valley, whom he had helped to gain promotion into the elite league last year.

The much travelled coach said Chiredzi, just like the majority of the clubs in the country were still not in a strong financial position but poured scorn on some suggestions he claimed were doing the rounds that his community-based project would not last the championship marathon.

Instead, Chunga who also has passion for identifying and nurturing young talent said they were ready to soldier on and ensure Premiership action would now become a permanent entertainment feature for the Chiredzi community.

Chiredzi will begin life in the top-flight with a home encounter against cash-rich FC Platinum at Chishamiso and Chunga wants that maiden game to be historic for his charges, their backers and their fans.

“As Chiredzi FC, we are ready for the first game of the season. It’s going to be a historic match for us because that will be the first time the team will be playing in the Premiership. But I am surprised at some prophets of doom who are spreading the word that Chiredzi FC are already facing hard times,” said Chunga

Such is the ambition that Chunga has that he believes there should be nothing stopping Chiredzi from gunning for the league title on their first attempt.

“This league is like a marathon and I do not want to come second best. I might fail to get the desired result of a win but that would be tough luck. I never concede defeat in a race before I have entered it and there will be many games and many competitions this season,” said Chunga.

Although Chunga admitted that his club was not in a strong financial position he said their desire of playing in the Premiership would be fulfilled.

“There are people who start preaching bad things about others. Some people are saying it’s all gloomy at Chiredzi FC because of finances but if we look closely there could be other teams that are worse off.

“We are new to the PSL and would definitely need time to adjust. Our side is a mixture of old and new players. I am keen on reintroducing the ‘Kidznet project’ but this does not mean I do not work with experienced players at all.

“I cannot even predict what I would be doing next but there are some people who are claiming to know me very well. It’s like they know more about me yet I do not even understand myself,” said Chunga.

In an era where the balance of power in the domestic appears to be evenly distributed with the Northern and Southern regions contributing five teams each while the Eastern and Central zones have three apiece, Chunga has every reason to believe that Chiredzi could make history and win the title in their maiden season.

The former Dynamos, Gunners, Shooting Stars and Shabanie Mine coach has recruited Tinashe Zishiri, a teacher at Hippo Valley Secondary to be one of his assistants.

After their date against Lloyd Mutasa’s FC Platinum, Chunga’s second Premiership assignment with Chiredzi will be a tricky fixture with another former Dynamos son — Biggie Zuze — who is now in charge of Triangle in a Lowveld derby.

With the Premier Soccer League having released the fixtures for the first half of the season, all the club coaches have stepped up their act in readiness for the 2014 season and Chunga knows that Chiredzi would need to acquit themselves well in their opening 15 games before they can turn their attention on the title.

Meanwhile champions Dynamos, their pride severely battered by their poor African Champions League campaign, will be hoping to turn that frustration into dominance on the domestic scene and vie for a fourth successive title.

Dynamos will open their account against How Mine at Barbourfields while Highlanders meet Chapungu at Ascot in their first match.
Harare City, who took the Premiership race to the wire lasts season, play Chicken Inn in Bulawayo and their mentor Bigboy Mawiwi, indicated his eagerness to do better than last season and stay focused until the final whistle of the last game of the season.

Mawiwi said they learnt from their huge disappointment last year, when they allowed DeMbare to snatch the league title from under their noses on the last day of the championship campaign.

But the Reigning Coach of the Year admitted their fine run last season meant they would be more pressure on his team given the wave of expectations from the Sunshine Boys’ stakeholders.

“We want to do better than what we did last season but it’s not going to be easy at all. All the teams in the PSL have beefed up and it will be tough,” said Mawiwi.

The fact that Harare will only have three teams in the elite league, Mawiwi said it will also mean that they will spend more time on the road this season.

“This season, there are only three teams from the capital in the Premiership and it means we will be on the road most of the times. Last year there were about six clubs from Harare but it’s not the same script this time around.

“We are away to Chicken Inn for the first game and it will be a difficult fixture becausethe Gamecocks are a very good side. In fact, all our first games will be tricky,” said Mawiwi.

Harare City will play CAPS United in their second match before facing ZPC Kariba in the third round of games and Dynamos for their forth assignment.

Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas is also cautious ahead of his team’s first fixture but he feels that it will give him the opportunity to adjust his side if there is any need to do so.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done within the two weeks before we kick off. So far we have been shaping up slowly but surely. There are a number of new guys in the team and they have shown a lot of enthusiasm,” said Antipas.

Premiership giants CAPS United will open their season by hosting ZPC Kariba while army side Black Rhinos face returnees Bantu Rovers in Bulawayo as Hwange host Buffaloes.