The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
THEY were always a happy lot and liked to call themselves the Happy People.
At some point, they were one of the best-funded teams in the league and stable enough to attract some of the of best players and coaches in the local Premier Soccer League.
They were once home to the legendary Moses “Bambo” Chunga, who coined one of his famous statements soon after his appointment as head coach at the club.
“You need good eggs to make a good omelette. So we will shop around for a few quality strikers,” Chunga told the media soon after he was unveiled as Lengthens coach in 2008.
Sadly, Chunga did not last the distance and it was also not a happy ending for Lengthens, who succumbed to economic pressures, before crumbling in 2010.
After only four seasons in the top-flight, Lengthens were relegated under the guidance of Jostein Mathuthu, but not before they had left their mark.
Founded in 2003 as a social club in Harare’s high-density suburb of Kuwadzana, Lengthens made their PSL debut in 2007, before clinching the then prestigious BancABC Cup two years later.
Success in the BancABC Cup meant Lengthens won the ticket to represent Zimbabwe in the 2010 CAF Confederation Cup, but their maiden dance with continental football could not go beyond the first round stage.
“We were a small club, but one that was always happy,” former Lengthens president, Musa Gwasira, told The Sunday Mail Sport.
“We were not playing just to win. . . we also played to enjoy the game. We found joy in travelling and playing.
“We would still enjoy our drinks; have fun with the players even after a defeat. That’s why we decided to call ourselves the Happy People”.
Gwasira founded the club together with his friends who included John Chikochi, Brian Mafirambudzi, Irvin Mereki, Tonderai Mafuso and Tavani Musikavanhu. The majority of those directors, including Gwasira, had been Dynamos supporters who had been frustrated with the lean spell the Glamour Boys had been going through.
“I used to be a big supporter of Dynamos, but we always had issues with the club’s leadership back then.
“We always tried to offer our advice, but were always frustrated. We ended up deciding to form our club just to prove how a club could be run efficiently,” he said.
After narrowly losing to CAPS United in the 2008 BancABC final, Lengthens got it right the following year, when they edged Shooting Stars 2-1 to claim the silverware.
On their African football bow, Lengthens eliminated AS Adema of Madagascar in the preliminary round before being thumped 5-1 on aggregate by seasoned Tanzanian giants Simba SC in the first found.
“That 2010 CAF Confederation Cup appearance was a great experience. It exposed us to how things are done in other countries. The players got the exposure; some of them had never been outside the country.
“We then went to Tanzania and players enjoyed themselves both on and off the field. It was also more like tourism for us because we took the players to the beach. For us, football was fun.
“We wanted to have fun through football,” Gwasira said.
However, that African safari had its catastrophic consequences.
The expenses incurred were huge and the impact was negative on the club’s finances.
“The African safari consumed a lot of money. It really drained our coffers. At that time I was left to take care of the club alone and it was a huge burden because business was also not good.
“If you are not paying well, then players don’t play well and you don’t get results. You also lose some of your top players.
“That’s how we crumbled at the end of 2010.” Lengthens gave a platform to a number of players including Richard Mteki, who made the 2007 Soccer Star of the Year final list in the club’s debut season. Mteki, an exciting dreadlocked forward, took the football scene by storm, starring for the club.
In no time, he was drafted into the Warriors squad before forcing his way onto the 2007 Soccer Stars calendar.
He even attracted interest from giants Dynamos and CAPS United, but chose to stay put at Lengthens.
Veteran striker Tawanda Nyamandwe, Artwell Nyamiwa, Tendai “DJ Malaika” Nyamadzawo and Brian Mapfumo also had stints with Lengthens as did Ronald Sengu, Arnold Chiveya, Gilbert Mapemba, Last Chibwiro, Peter Ngwenya, Brighton Pamhirwa, Patrick Makuvaza, Ephert Sakwata, Norest Mukwezaramba and goalkeepers Lovemore Makwavarara and Muzondiwa Gonese.
“Lengthens is like a child that died in its mother’s womb,” laments the club’s former gaffer Mathuthu.
“The club had all the ingredients to be successful. They had a robust and youthful leadership, especially Musa Gwasira and John Chikochi.
“In their short stint in the PSL, Lengthens are remembered more than some teams that spent 15 years in the league.
“I personally enjoyed the environment, but unfortunately immaturity on the part of some leaders robbed the nation of a big project,” added Mathuthu who is now a pastor.
There are plans to revive Lengthens, but this time with a different vision.
“They (plans) are there. If we are to revive the project then it will be to develop junior players,” Gwasira said.
Whether Lengthens will rise from the ashes is a subject for speculation, but what is clear is that the club gave football fans some moments to savour.
Renowned coach Paul “Popopo” Chimalizeni and Mandla Masuku were also instrumental in Lengthens’ formation while Robert Matoka was a long-serving team manager.
