Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
SUNDAY’S blockbuster between Highlanders and Scottland presents the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League leaders with an opportunity to equal one of the greatest starts to a league campaign in Zimbabwean football history.
Scottland have won their last nine league matches, collecting a maximum 27 points while keeping nine consecutive clean sheets. The impressive run has opened a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Victory over Highlanders would give Scottland a 10th successive league win, matching the feat achieved by Highlanders’ title-winning side of 2006, which opened the season with 10 straight victories before drawing with Motor Action in their 11th match.
Bosso’s 2006 team remains the benchmark for the best start to a Premier Soccer League season.
CAPS United came close in 2004, winning nine consecutive league matches before being held by Kwekwe Cables, while Dynamos’ 2007 championship-winning side recorded eight successive victories before drawing with Bantu Rovers.
Scottland also won eight matches in a row during their debut top-flight campaign last season on their way to the league title.
Another intriguing subplot centres on Scottland coach Norman Mapeza, whose career has been defined by title-winning teams and lengthy winning runs.
Mapeza was assistant coach to Charles Mhlauri when CAPS United won nine successive league matches during their 2004 championship-winning campaign.
As a head coach, he guided Monomotapa to eight consecutive victories en route to the 2008 league title before repeating the feat with FC Platinum in 2017, when another eight-match winning streak laid the foundation for the Zvishavane side’s championship success.
Now, Mapeza has the opportunity to add another milestone to his coaching career.
Ironically, he must equal Highlanders’ historic record against the club that set it.
Bosso are unlikely to make the task easy. They have lost only two league matches this season and are unbeaten in their last six outings. The reverse fixture at Rufaro Stadium in April ended in a goalless draw.
A Scottland victory would tighten their grip on the title race and draw level with one of the finest starts to a Premier Soccer League season.
For Highlanders, Sunday’s clash offers the chance to protect a record established during one of the most memorable campaigns in the club’s history. By the final whistle, Scottland could either join Bosso in the PSL record books or be denied by the very team that set the standard.
