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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
A RIVETING Premiership race enters the home stretch today with champions Dynamos in the driving seat but a tough run in, and significant gains made by Harare City and CAPS United this season, suggest we could be in for an explosive final phase of this marathon.
The Glamour Boys will today invade the Colliery hoping to scale one of the toughest hurdles, erected in a minefield that will see them playing four tough away matches against Highlanders, Chicken Inn, FC Platinum and Triangle, in their final nine games of the season.
It has already been a tougher season for the champions when compared to their campaign last year and while Callisto Pasuwa and his men enjoy the same two-point cushion they had, at this stage in 2012, their value, in terms of points on the board, has been eroded by fewer wins and a lot of draws.

Their comfort has come from the fact that Highlanders, who ran them close last season, have also lost substantial value in their campaign this season but the huge gains made by the Sunshine City boys and the Green Machine, which appears to suggest the title will still remain in the capital, presents a real threat for the Glamour Boys.

Bigboy Mawiwi’s Harare City have exploded from just having 25 points, from 21 league matches last season, to now boasting of an impressive harvest of 39 points, from the same number of games this year, which has thrust them into second place in the championship race and opened a big window of opportunity for them to be crowned champions.

Harare City host unpredictable Shabanie at Rufaro today, having only fallen two points adrift of the leaders after a cruel goal conceded deep in time added on turned what had looked like an impressive away win in Triangle into a draw, hoping to keep alive a brave campaign for honours that has defied all expectations.

Mawiwi and his men have won six more games, when compared to the same stage last season, drawn four fewer games, lost six fewer games, scored 15 more goals and conceded one more goal in an impressive all-round improvement that has seen them transform what was a 39.68 percent failure rate, after 21 games last year, into a bright 61.90 percent success rate.

Harare City fans will feel a 22.22 percent swing in their success rate represents a step closer to greatness and it’s just the kind of stuff that makes champions and such has been their team’s improvement that where they had lost 10 games, in 21 league matches last season, they have now lost just four and go into the final nine games with a real good chance to be champions.

Mawiwi’s team have added 14 more points from their tally, this season, when compared to what was in their bag , at the same stage, last year.

Of course, their Achilles Heel is that they have never been in this situation before and Mawiwi doesn’t provide the collateral that Pasuwa gives, given that he has been in these trenches before and succeeded in his mission, and while everyone in the Sunshine City Boys’ camp is saying they remain composed, the reality is that they are staggering under the weight of the pressure that has been building.

CAPS United are chasing their first league title in eight years and while they suffered the setback of losing the Harare Derby in their last match, ending an impressive 10-match unbeaten run, they return to the comforts provided by the National Sports Stadium today knowing they are just six points off the pace with 27 points still to play for.

They face the familiar figure of Gishon Ntini, a man who represents a past for the Green Machine that was a success story given that he was part of the technical set-up when the championship was won in 2005, and Taurai Mangwiro and his men know that it’s either they take all three points this afternoon or kiss goodbye to whatever hopes they have of becoming champions again this year.

Makepekepe might be six points adrift of their bitter rivals Dynamos right now, which is a huge difference so late in the season, but they know there will be twists and turns in this race and if they can take care of their business, now that the Harare Derby that they seemingly can’t win is out of the way, they have a good chance.

The Green Machine has won four more games, when compared to the same period last season, drawn the same number of games, lost four fewer games, scored 12 more goals, conceded four less goals and reversed what was a depressing 36.50 percent failure rate to a good, although certainly not spectacular, 55.55 percent success rate.

That’s a cool 12 points that they have added to their tally, after 21 games, this season.
The promise, for them, comes in the form of the way the Big Boys — Dynamos and Highlanders — have largely struggled, when compared to their campaign last season, in this marathon and the Green Machine fans will be hoping the giants drop more points, in the final nine matches, to keep up with the pattern they have seen so far.

DeMbare have eight fewer points (49 and 41), at this point of the season, when they look at their campaign last year, they have won four fewer games, lost the same number of matches, drawn double the number of games they had drawn after 21 matches last season, scored 12 less goals but there has been a stability in their defensive pattern with virtually the same number of goals conceded.

Last year, after 21 games, their success rate was a spectacular 77.77 percent and now it has gone down to 65.08 percent although they have got it right in what matters most, keeping the leadership in the championship race and enjoying the same two-point cushion they had last season.

Bosso have also lost their value, when compared to last season, winning two fewer games, drawing four fewer matches and, this is what has held them back, losing six games where they had not lost even one game after 21 matches last season, scoring nine fewer goals and conceding six more goals.

Last year, where they enjoyed a 74.77 percent success rate, they now have a 58.73 percent success rate, which represents a minus 16.04 percent in value of their points on the board, and probably explains why they are not second but third on the table right now.
Chicken Inn have not improved or, crucially, not lost their way and have the same number of points (34) as they had at this stage last season.

Motor Action, with a minus 22.23 percent reversal, in terms of points on the board and Monomotapa, with minus 18.81 percent reversal, have badly lost their way in the championship race, both plagued by serious financial challenges, and their lowly positions on the table speak volumes of the challenges they have faced.

Other Teams

Shabanie — won THREE fewer games, drew ONE less game, lost FOUR more games, scored SEVEN fewer goals, conceded EIGHT more goals, a 60.32 percent success rate last year now a 44.44 percent failure rate.

FC Platinum — won same number of games, drew ONE more game, lost ONE less game, scored SEVEN fewer goals, conceded EIGHT less goals, last year’s 55.55 percent success rate turned into a 57.14 percent success rate.

Hwange — won TWO fewer games, drew TWO fewer games, lost same number of games, scored ELEVEN goals less, conceded TWELVE fewer goals, a failure rate of 41.26 percent last season turned into a failure rate of 34.99 percent this year.

Black Mambas — won TWO more games, drew TWO less games, lost same number of matches, scored THREE fewer goals, conceded FOUR less goals, converting a 36.50 percent failure rate last year into a 41.26 percent failure rate.