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Tobias Mandoreba in Hwange

Hwange …………………(0) 0

Harare City ……………. (1) 1

RELEGATION-HAUNTED Hwange now need divine intervention to avoid the dreaded chop at the end of the season after succumbing at the hands of fellow strugglers Harare City in a Castle Lager Premiership football match at the Colliery yesterday.

The coalminers have now gone for 13 games without a win as the league now enters the business end where boys are separated from men.

Ishmael Wadi grabbed the all-important goal for Harare City in the 21st minute when he was released by William Manondo near the centre circle and outpaced Hwange right back Kupakwashe Matake before hammering the ball past an out drawn goalkeeper Taimon Mvula.

That was the visitors’ first attack at goal and the goal was to prove the winner as Harare City did themselves a huge favour in their quest to avoid relegation while Hwange are fast running short of oxygen in the campaign.

From the City goal, Chipangano laid siege in the visitors half but the goal proved elusive with Nixon Gama hitting the post on the half hour mark while Shepherd Gadzikwa was denied by goalkeeper Maxwell Nyamupangedengu from a one-on-one situation three minutes later.

The last half had the same script as Hwange launched incessant attacks but the Harare City rearguard defended resolutely.

As Hwange threw everything at City, leaving gaps at the back, Wadi could have grabbed a brace 15 minutes from time but was denied by the agility of Mvula who summoned all his reflexes to dive full stretch to block his powerful volley.

Hwange will have to dig deep in their bag of tricks when they next face Triangle away at Gibbo in what is now proving a make-or-break league duel.

Their coach Nation Dube again bemoaned lack of the cutting edge upfront as their undoing.

“We create chances in all the games but finishing is proving our let down. We have to work hard to perfect that and other areas in the remaining games,” he said.

Acting Harare City head coach Nelson Matongorere, who was in charge of the team as Lloyd Chitembwe was away in Lesotho with the Warriors for a CHAN qualifier assignment at the weekend,  said they did their homework well.

“We watched Hwange play CAPS United and knew that we needed to have good ball players. We aimed to score first and we knew Hwange play long balls but we had all that under control. We won’t be relegated with such play.” Matongorere said.

Teams

Hwange: T. Mvula, K. Matake( G. Zulu, 47th min), N. Chinyerere, G. Ndlovu, L. Sibanda, F. Chindungwe, A. Banda, E. Nkhulungo (T. Ncube, 62nd min), S. Gadzikwa, N. Gama, D. Maphosa  L. Vundla, 75th min).

Harare City: M. Nyamupanedengu, W. Manondo, K. Musharu, T. Chimwemwe (G. Madhake, 66th min), I. Wadi, M. Diro, R. Uchena, W. Mukanga (T. Tavengwa, 72nd min), M. Muchenje, M. Vengesayi (D. Masukuta, 86th min), H, Chapusha.