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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor—
THE last time CAPS United completed the season unbeaten at home in the league, the Green Machine powered to their first Premiership title after Independence and — on the 20th anniversary of that landmark success — the Class of 2016 have matched the Immortals of ’96 with their invincibility in their backyard this season. And that has fuelled expectations among their fans that coach Lloyd Chitembwe and his men will end 11 years of waiting for the Green Machine in their quest for the glory that comes with winning the championship.

Makepekepe could have won the title on Sunday had FC Platinum crumbled under pressure and failed to beat Highlanders in their showdown at Mandava, but the Zvishavane miners showed remarkable resilience by turning on the power in the second half to win 3-0.

That result meant the race for this year’s title will go to the wire with neither CAPS United nor FC Platinum having the luxury to drop points in their final matches against Chapungu and Tsholotsho in Gweru and Bulawayo.

Makepekepe, though, have the comfort that they can win the title even in defeat in the event that FC Platinum fail to beat a plucky Tsholotsho whose victory over Highlanders at Barbourfields a few weeks ago derailed the Bulawayo giants’ campaign to win their first league title in exactly 10 years.

Interestingly, Tsholotsho held FC Platinum when the two teams last clashed in Bulawayo last year.

CAPS United also have a tricky assignment as their last visit to Gweru, for a date against Chapungu, saw them losing 1-2 in a league match last year which resulted in the rearrangement of the coaching department at the Green Machine.

Chitembwe was rehired to take over as head coach, while Mark Mathe was reassigned to his role as assistant coach.

Since that move in September last year, the Green Machine are yet to lose a league match at the National Sports Stadium and their unbeaten run this season, in their backyard, matched the Class of ’96 which became the first CAPS United side to win the league championship in Independent Zimbabwe.

The Green Machine had last won the league championship in 1979.

Then under the guidance of Steve Kwashi, the CAPS United team of ’96 lost only three league matches, with all their defeats coming away from home, a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Dynamos, a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Blackpool and a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Arcadia United.

But they were unbeatable at home and that helped them power to glory in a landmark season for Makepekepe who, until then, had largely fashioned themselves as a club that specialised in winning knock-out tournaments.

The three games that the CAPS United side lost that season is the exact number of matches which the Green Machine have lost this season, with a game to play against Chapungu at Ascot.

While Charles Mhlauri’s team destroyed the opposition on their way to greatness in 2004, they lost a home match when they were beaten 3-4 by Highlanders at the National Sports Stadium.

However, an unbeaten run on the road, in which they destroyed everything in their path, helped that Green Machine team to power to a runaway victory. A year later, CAPS United were crowned champions again when they won the championship on the final day of the season despite falling 0-3 in their last match against Black Rhinos at the National Sports Stadium.

Masvingo United, who could have won the league title had they beaten Dynamos in their backyard in the final match, however, lost that match 1-2 to hand the title to the Green Machine.

CAPS United have 60 points, with a game to play in the season, and that points tally would have been enough to win them the league championship in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Monomotapa won the league championship in 2008 with 60 points, but their goal difference would have been inferior to CAPS United’s goal difference. Dynamos won the 2011 league championship with 58 points, while they also won the 2013 championship with 54 points and the 2014 championship with 57 points.

Chicken Inn won last year’s league championship with 61 points and, if CAPS United win their last game at Ascot, they will eclipse that tally and only the DeMbare team of 2012, which finished with 69 points on their way to glory, would have done better than them in reaching the Promised Land since 2010.

CAPS United have never had it this good and the 60 points they have in the bag is the highest tally they have accumulated since Mhlauri drove them to greatness in 2004. But, they could still lose everything, in the event that they crumble at Ascot and drop points while FC Platinum win their final match of the season against Tsholotsho.

The CAPS United family are daring to dream and, statistics seem to suggest they have a reason to do that but, then, this is a crazy football year in which even Leicester City won the English Premiership title.