Suburban
Prince Edwards students Bill Leeroy Antonio and Luke Musikiri are slowly finding their feet in the Zimbabwean top flight soccer league as they continue the quest to further develop their talent at Harare giants Dynamos.
Suburban Reporter
Antonio was in the starting line-up last weekend when the Harare team met Yadah Stars in the Chibuku Super Cup and helped his side wallop the Prophet Walter Magaya-backed team 4-0. Antonio put up a splendid performance when he lined up in a star-studded five-men midfield which included Shadreck Nyahwa, Trevor Mavhunga, Barnabas Mushunje and Tanaka Chidhobha.
In his first match for the Glamour Boys, the 18-year-old Antonio, who is an Advanced Level student and prefect at Prince Edward, made an immediate impression. Soccer pundits showered praises on the young midfielder saying he was one for the future if he maintained his form, a cool head and stayed free from career threatening injuries.
By the time he was substituted for Tinashe Makanda in the 70th minute of the game against Yadah Stars, Antonio had already shown what he is made of and won the hearts of the hard to please Dynamos fans and the soccer analysts.
The performance obviously won him his second starting berth in the DeMbare first team when the most successful Zimbabwean soccer team in terms of league championships clashed in a mid-week encounter with ZPC Kariba in their third Chibuku Super Cup game at the National Sports Stadium.
This time around Antonio’s hunger would prove the prescription coach Tonderayi Ndiraya’s men needed as his shot was deflected by ZPC Kariba defender Collin Mujuru into his own net in an attempt to clear resulting in the solitary goal that sank the Kariba-based team.
It had been a frustrating afternoon for Antonio and his DeMbare teammates as ZPC Kariba shut them out for most parts of the game until the PE student stepped up to help his team collect their second set of full points and remain top of their group.
The goal ensured DeMbare go into this weekend’s Harare derby with CAPS United bubbling with confidence. CAPS are also not short on confidence as they got the better of Herentals 2-1 in their third Chibuku Super Cup game at the National Sports Stadium on Wednesday this week.
Herentals frustrated DeMbare and held them to a goalless draw in the first round of matches in the Delta Beverages bankrolled Chibuku Super Cup. The tournament has marked the resumption of soccer in Zimbabwe following a year on inactivity last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the match against ZPC Kariba, Antonio was substituted late on in the dying moments as he made way for his school mate Musikiri. Musikiri grabbed the opportunity of the few minutes the DeMbare gaffer Ndiraya gave him to also showcase his pedigree.
A promising striker who has been full of goals in the junior ranks, Musikiri displayed his skills by fearlessly taking on the ZPC Kariba defenders like a veteran.
Luke Musikiri
The two PE students also have Hamilton Gomba, a former student of the Harare-based boys’ high school, as their teammate at DeMbare. A midfielder, Gomba should be itching to also get an opportunity to show what he has to offer to the team which his father Carrington Gomba also played for.
The trio looks like they are definitely the future of the Harare soccer powerhouse and with polished performances might find themselves representing the Zimbabwe Warriors in future. The three are just some of the several products of the PE Soccer Academy, which the school has been churning out over the years making its mark in the development of sport.
PE is also known for its exploits in rugby, athletics, basketball and tennis in the Zimbabwean schools’ sport fraternity.
