Superstar footballer Khama Billiat was thrown into the action as the main attraction as he made his debut for his new employers on Sunday.
Billiat is back home in Harare, where he is now in the books of Yadah FC on a deal that makes him the best-paid player in Zimbabwean football.
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With the razzmatazz that hogged the headlines upon his arrival and unveiling, Sunday became the first day that he got to play an official match on a weekend when the local league got underway.
Billiat was brought in after 78 minutes to replace former Witbank Spurs winger King Nadolo.
Yadah were trailing 1-0 against hosts Hwange and this was what the crowd inside the Colliery Stadium had been waiting for and the noise provided all the evidence about who they had come to watch.
Even the fans of the opposition made it no secret that they wanted to see Billiat in action considering his superstar status.
The expectation was that he would have a role to play in getting the equaliser for the visitors, who dumped the option of travelling by road and flew in from the capital via Victoria Falls.
Billiat could have struck the equaliser, but his effort came off the post as the game finished 1-0.
"There was no arguing that everyone in the stadium wanted to watch Khama," says a former PSL player who was at the game.
"He played about 15 minutes and showed has flashes of brilliance. There is no doubt that Khama remains quality and the way he made intelligent runs across the frontline was proof of that he can still play.
"He could be a bit rusty fitness wise, but his football brains are still there. As the crowd puller, the fans were impressed with what they saw," he adds.
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Billiat briefly played in the Zimbabwean top league prior to leaving for South Africa, where he spent 14 years and grew to be a superstar playing for Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
The 33-year-old scored 97 goals playing for PSL clubs and besides playing a minute almost a year ago, his last proper game-time was on October 29, 2022, when he lasted 79 minutes for Amakhosi in their 1-0 Soweto Derby win against Orlando Pirates.
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