Platinum test awaits Gamecocks Joey Antipas

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

AFTER going six games unbeaten and sending a big message about their intentions this season, log leaders Chicken Inn should brace for a tough outing against a resurgent Ngezi Platinum Stars side in a Castle Lager Premiership football match at Baobab this Saturday.

The Gamecocks travel at a time when the platinum miners appear to have steadied their ship after collecting maximum points in their previous two games.

The Mhondoro side, which recently parted ways with head coach Rodwell Dhlakama, had experienced a dip in form after going three games without winning.

But the side defied the odds in their last assignment when they edged defending champions FC Platinum in a difficult away match at Mandava.

This was preceded by a sound 3-1 thumping of Cranborne Bullets at home. The two wins have somehow buried the poor run which they experienced when domestic football returned from the extended festive holidays and AFCON break last month.

Stand-in coach Takesure Chiragwi has been in the spotlight, with names such as Benjani Mwaruwari and Joel Lupahla being thrown around as possible candidates to beef-up the coaching department.

The Gamecocks, on the other hand, have been in fine form and are unbeaten since the restart. They are currently enjoying their place in the sun after chalking up a sixth league win of the season in eight outings with the 2-1 win over Black Rhinos last weekend.

With 19 points in the bag, they have a two-point advantage over second-placed Manica Diamonds who host FC Platinum, in a potentially explosive tie at Sakubva this coming Sunday.

Chicken Inn coach Joey ‘’Mafero’’ Antipas is not concerning himself with such distractions. The Gamecocks, who won their only league title back in 2015 under Antipas, had started off the campaign with a limp.

But they appear to have done good business during the current window when they brought in the likes of midfielder Richard Hachiro from CAPS United and Malvin Hwata from Cranborne Bullets and Denzel Khumalo from champions FC Platinum.

New boy Brian Muza has also been on top of his game and is currently the Castle Lager Premiership leading scorer. Muza, who has now scored seven goals in eight outings, got a brace in the last game when they recovered from a goal down to negotiate a tough hurdle in the 2-1 win over Black Rhinos at Luveve.

Muza was plucked from Division One side, Talen Vision, and has brought so much joy to Antipas because of his diligent work ethic.

“Muza is doing well. We saw this guy for the first time when he was playing in Division One at Talen Vision.

“He was struggling a bit when he came here but I can say now he is picking up form. He has so much energy. He is the type of player that can run the whole 90 minutes without showing signs of fatigue,” said Antipas.

“I also think we recruited some good players during the transfer period and these guys are doing quite well. If you look at a player like Richard Hachiro, he is now approaching his best football; Muza is scoring for fun and Malvin Hwata is playing good football although he is still to open his scoring account. Then Denzel is yet to be fully match fit but he will get there soon.

“So I think we are coming up as a team although we still need to work more. We also switched our formation a bit and it has been working well for us of late,” said Antipas.

Castle Lager Premiership Fixtures

 Saturday: ZPC Kariba v Tenax (Nyamhunga), Herentals v CAPS United (NSS), Black Rhinos v Bulawayo Chiefs (Sakubva), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Chicken Inn (Baobab), Bulawayo City v Triangle (Barbourfields)

Sunday: Whawha v Cranborne Bullets (Ascot), Manica Diamonds v FC Platinum (Sakubva), Harare City v Dynamos (NSS), Highlanders v Yadah (Barbourfields)

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