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Dominic Chungwa

Eddie Chikamhi in HARARE and Ricky Zililo in BULAWAYO
CHICKEN INN squeezed back into the title race while Dominic Chungwa took full charge of the race of the Golden Boot on a day when Tsholotsho’s flirtation with the Castle Lager Premiership finally came to an end as another defining weekend started amid a lot of drama. Focus now shifts to leaders Ngezi Platinum’s visit to relegated Bantu Rovers, FC Platinum’s tricky tie against ZPC Kariba and Dynamos’ must-win game against in-form Chapungu at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow.

The Gamecocks condemned Tsholotsho into Division One after a 1-0 win yesterday. Rightback Passmore Bernard, who has developed a knack for scoring important goals for Chicken Inn, struck the solitary goal for Rahman Gumbo’s men in the 40th minute. The Gamecocks are now just one point behind leaders Ngezi Platinum and FC Platinum. The Ngezi Platinum Stars technical team, led by Tonderai Ndiraya, were at Barbourfields to spy on championship-hopefuls Chicken Inn whom they face in their next game.

“I think this game against Bantu Rovers is more difficult than that against Dynamos. Bantu Rovers are already relegated and have nothing to lose meaning that they are not under any pressure. We have to guard against complacency and psyche the players to be in the right mind frame,’’ said Ndiraya.

Chungwa stretched his lead in the race for the Golden Boot by three goals after scoring his 15th goal of the season as CAPS United beat How Mine 1-0 at Luveve. The Green Machine will not defend their league title this year but they are likely to provide the league with some of its best players, including Chungwa, who has found a purple patch after being thrust into the role of leading striker following the departure and retirement of some key players. Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa is in desperate need of a new hero to turn around the fortunes of the Glamour Boys in the quest for this year’s championship.

The Harare giants slipped into fourth place yesterday following Chicken Inn’s 1-0 win over Tsholotsho at Barbourfields which took the Gamecocks into third place on 59 points, one ahead of the Glamour Boys. With a poor run of three winless matches weighing on them, DeMbare need maximum points in their home game against Chapungu at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow. This match could determine their season after they fell two points behind the leading pack.

DeMbare will be keeping a close eye on the proceedings at Mandava where FC Platinum take on ZPC Kariba this afternoon while results from the match between log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars and Bantu Rovers at Luveve tomorrow also have a huge bearing on their pros- pects. Despite their recent woes on-and-off the field, Dynamos team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday said they needed to beat Chapungu to keep pace with the teams above them in the title run-in.

However, the man they had hoped would carry them through the season, Denver Mukamba, has lost his way at the most crucial stage of the campaign. And, with goals having seemingly having dried up for their top marksman Christian Joel Epoupa Ntouba and skipper Ocean Mushure being inconsistent, Dynamos need fresh inspiration.

The Glamour Boys technical team was this week forced to take the decision to sideline Mukamba and close friend Lincoln Zvasiya on disciplinary grounds. The technical team, however, have been reluctant to speak on the players who are highly unlikely to a big part in the remainder of the season after they were reported to the club’s executive over their unrepentant bad boy behaviour which has been viewed as disruptive to the team’s efforts.

“We don’t look at individuals, we play as a team,” said Chihoro. The boys are really looking forward to this game, we want all the points on offer. Mind you, every game that we play is equally important. So we have to win this match against Chapungu to stay in the race. We have been encouraging the boys time and again to believe in themselves. It’s been a tough season but I can tell you the coaches have gone out of their way to try and get these guys focused. This has always been a four-horse race and the good thing is we are still in with a big chance. We have to keep going.

“Remember when we started the season some people even predicted that we will be fighting relegation but we have proved those critics wrong. We have to keep believing because we have learnt that in football anything can happen. We are calling on our supporters from all chapters to rally behind the team. They always make the difference, I think this is the period we need them the most,” said Chihoro.

Dynamos suffered a massive blow to their title campaign last week when they lost 0-2 in an ill-tempered match against contenders Ngezi Platinum at Baobab. DeMbare had also failed to win in their last two outings after settling for a share of spoils against Tsholotsho and ZPC Kariba. Their vice-captain Obey Mwerahari is back from injury.

The giants will also be looking forward to Epoupa to find his scoring touch and skipper Ocean Mushure to lead from the front like he had done for much of the first half of the season. Mukamba’s absence could also open the doors for other players such as Emmanuel Mandiranga, Tawanda Macheke and Cleopas Kapupurika. With 58 points in the bag and the destiny of the championship out of their hands, Chihoro said DeMbare cannot afford any more slip-ups.

Fixtures

Today

Yadah v Bulawayo City (NSS), FC Platinum v ZPC Kariba (Mandava), Black Rhinos v Shabanie Mine (Rufaro)

Sunday

Bantu Rovers v Ngezi Platinum (Luveve), Hwange v Highlanders (Colliery), Triangle v Harare City (Gibbo), Dynamos v Chapungu (NSS)