Nhamo aims high

04 Nov, 2018 - 00:11 0 Views
Nhamo aims high

The Sunday Mail

Don Makanyanga
AS chubby as he is at 72 kilograms, one is tempted to think that Triangle United striker Lameck Nhamo turns out for a social soccer outfit.

Instead, the 31-year-old forward has been credited with turning the fortunes of the Sugar Sugar Boys this season, banging in a total of 12 goals. He remains a contender for the golden boot award.

Last weekend, Nhamo scored the winning goal for Triangle FC against Dynamos to ensure the Lowveld side booked their first Chibuku Super Cup final berth.

At a glance, one would think that Nhamo is there to make numbers for Triangle but instead, he has turned his chubby look into a strength and has set his sights on landing the golden boot award.

And the Triangle chubby striker is not bothered with the talk of his stature. lnstead, what bothers him is to help his team attain the set target.

“I have always been like this so I am not bothered with what people say.

“Players underrate my speed because of my stature. I have tried to use that to my advantage over the years and it has worked well for me.

“My secret is simple, I rely on timing and my strength is on take-off and I have used this strength to my advantage,” he said.

After finishing in the bottom half of the Premiership last season, the Sugar Sugar Boys engaged Taurai Mangwiro to turn around the fortunes of the club.

It was a sweet re-union between the two.

“Mangwiro was the first coach to hand me an opportunity to play in the top flight and he has kept me going over the years,” said Nhamo.

Ten years after being introduced to competitive football by Mangwiro, Nhamo has found himself at the peak in the twilight of his career.

“I started playing competitive football back in 2008 when I turned out for Masvingo United and over the years, my career has been a roller-coaster and I found my footing last year.

“It’s unfortunate that things are beginning to shape up now when I am about to retire.

“God willing, my dream is to play for the national team before I hang up my boots,” said Nhamo.

Not only does the former Masvingo United forward who joined Triangle United in 2011 from Eastern Region Division One side Victoria FC dream of playing for the national team, he has also set his sights on the 2018 Golden Boot. Currently, Nhamo is four goals behind the current leading top goal scorer Rodwell Chinyengetere.

“My personal target is to win the golden boot award and help the team achieve its target.

“I think if l manage to score a couple of more goals, I will be crowned the golden boot winner,” said Nhamo.

His exploits in Triangle colours has seen him being tipped to be among the best 11 players of the current campaign and drawing FC Platinum’s attention.

“After I was named player of the month in April, I realised it is possible to be on the calendar and I have been working hard ever since then to achieve the target,’ he said.

And Mangwiro, who handed the 31-year-old his debut match, describes the forward as a more complete player than he was a decade ago.

“I enrolled Lameck Nhamo whilst I was still at Masvingo United and I am just reminding him to play to his strength and improve on his weaknesses.

“He has worked very hard to improve his own game, he was previously self-centered; now he is a complete team player, and it won’t be a surprise to see him on the calendar,” said Mangwiro.

The 50-year-old coach is keen on completing a treble over Dynamos after stalking flames in a post-match interview of the Chibuku Super Cup final last weekend by suggesting that DeMbare lacks quality and fans are expecting too much from the team.

“As Triangle, we are coming to Harare looking to complete a treble over Dynamos as well as consolidate our position in the top 4.

“To be honest with you, the reality on the ground, this is a team (Dynamos) driven more by the fans than the talent that they possess.

“People should not fool themselves into believing that suddenly they are a good team (Dynamos). That’s the truth of the matter,” said Mangwiro.

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