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Dennis Kagonye in Chinhoyi and Munyaradzi Doma in Zvishavane
CAPS United . . . . .  . . . . 0

Ngezi Platinum . . . . . . . 0

CHINHOYI is desperate for football action as was witnessed yesterday when a big crowd thronged the provincial capital to watch Premiership champions CAPS United and 2017 pacesetters Ngezi Platinum settle for a goalless draw in the Heroes Day celebrations match.

The game was a dress rehearsal of the league game between these two teams who will meet again on Sunday at the National Sports Stadium.

Both teams fielded some of their reserve players who normally don’t get game time during the league matches.

And CAPS United had a penalty appeal turned down towards the end of the game when Nigerian forward Abasirim Chidiebere was hacked down by a Ngezi Platinum defender but the referee waved played on.

CAPS United assistant coach Fungai “Tostao” Kwashi hailed the people of Chinhoyi for coming out in their numbers to watch the game.

This was also reiterated by Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Faber Chidarikire, who applauded the supporters for coming in their numbers to watch the Heroes Day match.

The Green Machine regroup this morning in the capital to prepare for their league game against FC Platinum at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow. The match was very special for Madamburo coach Tonderai Ndiraya who lost his father during the liberation struggle.

“This is an important match to me and the organisers should keep on organising such kind of fixtures every year),” said Ndiraya. The Ministry of Sport and Recreation working with ZIFA, this year organised Heroes Day matches across the country featuring all the top flight and some Division One teams.

In Zvishavane, FC Platinum beat their rivals Shabanie Mine 2-0 at Mandava.

Ngobizitha Masuku who was introduced as a substitute in the 23rd minute following the injury of Hillary Bakacheza, opened the scoring in the 43rd minute.

In the 85th minute Hamadzashe Moyo sealed FC Platinum’s win but coach Norman Mapeza said the match was not just about the result but to celebrate the country’s Heroes Day Celebrations.

“The most important thing is not the result, the most important thing was for people to come and celebrate our Heroes Day, it wasn’t about the result.

“And it was good also we gave some of our boys a chance to feel how it is in the first team,” said Mapeza.

Mapeza also spoke about Nigel Makumbe who starred in the team and said, “he played very well, he impressed me and even those guys who came from the under 19s, Talent (Rukunda) and Blessing (Jimu) also played very well, they just need time. I think we have a very good project going forward and you know we can have games of such magnitude we will keep on giving these youngsters to keep on playing football.

“It was just to give them something so they can run around, my wish was to give everybody but you know we agreed with the other team that we can only use about seven substitutes, that’s what we agreed.”

Shabanie Mine coach Takesure Chiragwi echoed similar sentiments that the match was mostly to celebrate Heroes Day.

“It was a very good game, there is an opportunity for the youngsters who were not participating and today they got the opportunity to play, to show how good they are and to us also as coaches we were looking much on how best can we do in terms of having depth in the team so with these youngsters we wanted to see how they will play.

“We only cry about the mistakes that we made it was a corner kick and the boys were sleeping on the goal and eventually it was a goal. Apart from those mistakes I think we are very happy with the youngsters, they did very well,” Chiragwi said.