30 Oct 2022

NICO United registered their first win of their return season to the Premier League, courtesy of a tap-in by former Sua Flamingoes striker Thatayaone Magazi.

NICO relegated in May 2017 and have since been plotting a return to the topflight football albeit in vain.

The win against a fellow mining town outfit, Flamingoes, ushered Zimbabwean coach Philani Ncube to a perfect start in his debut season as a NICO coach. Ncube is new to the Premier League having coached Chicken Inn and Bulawayo City back at his home country.

Perhaps a sweet revenge for NICO after Flamingoes dumped them out of the last 16 of the all-encompassing Orange FA Cup on April 30.

Majombolo, a sobriquet derived from drilling steel used to penetrate the rocks to make blasting holes at BCL mine, spent the better part of the first half prospecting for softer rocks to penetrate in the Flamingoes defense until their efforts were rewarded early first half when Magazi tapped home to send NICO supporters in a wild frenzy.

Ncube, who spent the larger part of the game in the technical area standing and shouting instructions to his boys, was convinced his Majombolo could have drilled many blasting holes in the Flam Boys (Flamingoes moniker) had they composed themselves.

When the referee blew the final whistle, Ncube grabbed a bottle of water and guzzled down as some of his technical team members rushed into the pitch to congratulate the boys for their gallant fight. 

Perhaps he was overwhelmed by emotions after emerging a victor in a Zimbabwean coaches’ face-off at teams associated with mines.

“Just give me a minute, please,” he requested as he kept taking sips of still water before he yielded for a post-match interview.

“There’s always going to be some pressure in football, even after winning this game the pressure still mounts. Hopefully my boys will switch on and understand the demands of the Premier League,” said coach Ncube.

To the supporters who filled the 1 118 available seats at the western, roofed stand with others spread sparsely around the stadium to witness the return of the team they supported ever since its formation in 1969, Ncube delivered a plea.

“They should keep supporting us. 

This is an ongoing project and that requires that they be patient with us because we’re a new side, a new kid on the block.”

A ‘work in progress,’ Ncube was hopeful that the team would ‘hopefully grind results’ as they gain confidence in the apex football league so he could fulfill his mandate of ensuring Majombolo’s longevity in the Premier League.

“We should survive relegation.You can survive relegation by being a champion,” Ncube said coyly when quizzed about his mandate that saw NICO scouts cross the border into Zimbabwe seeking his signature.

On the other side, Flam Boys’ coach, Rahman Gumbo was a man battling for composure, trying to calm himself for the disappointment of conceding from what he thought was offside.

Although he conceded a loss and set his sights to their next challenge, Gumbo felt the hosts got away with murder in many instances.

In the first half, around the 27^th minute Mcebisi Moyo left the pitch limping and supported by medical staff after sustaining an injury in the NICO box, owing to a lunging tackle.

Subsequent to the challenge, Gumbo and his bench threw their arms in the air, appealing ferociously for a penalty, but the referee waved off their calls. Moyo was then replaced by Botshelo Mafoko after failing to make it back into the pitch.

The refereeing, according to Gumbo, was blunt and ended up flashing a lot of yellow cards to his boys yet in his view NICO players were the roughest on the pitch. 

While some players were cautioned for perceived rough and or dangerous tackles, others were cautioned for dissent against the referee’s decisions.

“Yeah, we had so many problems with the officiating, but look, I’m not going to blame officials. We have to accept it,” Gumbo said.

Although he started off with a loss, Gumbo was a composed man talking about his plans in the league marathon.

“We have to pick ourselves up and look forward to the next game,” Gumbo said after admitting that first games were always difficult especially following some postponements to the start of the league. The league commencement is slated for October 15. Ends