The director of FC Hunters, Andrew Gore
MARONDERA- Despite his team losing to FC Wangu Mazodze by two goals to nil in their
debut match in the Eastern Region Division 1 league which kicked off over the Easter
holiday, FC Hunters benefactor Andrew Gore is content with the squad which he assembled
to do duty this season.
FC Hunters were promoted to the league after emerging champions in the ZIFA Mashonaland
East Division 2 league last season.
They emerged champions in the provincial league and successfully shrugged off the
challenge of seasoned campaigners Chivhu Stars and Kotwa United.
In the Eastern Region Division 1 Soccer League, FC Hunters will be playing against fellow
teams from Mashonaland East as well as others from Masvingo and Manicaland provinces.
“In our first match of the season in Division 1, we went down 2-nil to FC Wangu Mazodze
even though we had prepared very well for that game. Our boys gave a good account for
themselves in that match considering that it was their first game in that league which is a
notch higher than the Division 2 league which we were part of last season.
“Their opponents on the day are an experienced lot as they have been playing in that league
for several years. We were not lucky on the day as our strikers missed some chances while
the two goals which we conceded were a result of judgement errors by our goalkeeper,” Gore
said.
He was optimistic that FC Hunters will do well in their upcoming fixtures as they will do
their homework to avoid matches that could cost them points as the season progresses.
“This is our first time in Division 1 and we are still learning. Hopefully, we will stabilize our
ship soon and start collecting maximum points and that will boost the boys’ confidence. Our
target this season is finishing on a respectable position and winning the league will be a
bonus, even though that is our main target in the long run,” he said.
At a time local football continues to be shunned by the corporate world at both the club and
national levels, Gore vowed to play his part in the development of the game in the province,
with the ultimate goal being bringing top-flight league football to the provincial capital.
The team was formed in 2019 and earned the automatic ticket to rumble in the Eastern
Region Division 1 league last season.
This is the same league which gave teams such as Buffaloes, Manica Diamonds, Yadah Stars,
Triangle, Tenax Correctional Services, Masvingo United and Mutare City Rovers, among
others, the chance to rub shoulders with some of the teams in the country at the highest local
football level.
“As Hunters FC we are entering our fourth year in existence and for us, everything is going
according to plan. Our target as a football institution is to eventually earn promotion into the
Castle Lager Premier Soccer league to give Marondera football fans something to cheer
about. That is the ultimate goal and we are moving in the right direction, taking a step at a
time. We have confidence in the players that are currently at our coaches’ disposal,” Gore
said.
The last time football fans from this part of the world watched premiership football at
Rudhaka Stadium was more than ten years ago when the stadia used to host Stan Kudenga’s
Eagle’s and the late Douglas Tanyanyiwa’s Douglas Warriors.
Both teams are now defunct.
While Tanyanyiwa literally took his Warriors to the grave with him, history will always
remind us that Eagles was the first team – since the unforgettable era of St Paul’s Musami –
to be promoted into the country’s elite league on an Eastern Region ticket.
MaDutch, as Eagles was affectionately known, gave Marondera football fans glimpses of
quality football exhibitions and their best moments during their stay in the premiership came
when they inflicted defeats on the so-called country’s Big Three teams – Dynamos,
Highlanders and Caps United.
