Simba Bhora 6 points away from glory
Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
THE Harare Derby rekindled old memories of the exciting duels between giants Dynamos and CAPS United at Rufaro on Sunday, but it was Simba Bhora who were the biggest winners of the weekend after making a huge leap towards their maiden Castle Lager Premiership title with a big win at Wadzanai.
The Shamva side moved to just within six points from clinching a historic feat for Mashonaland Central Province after beating Chicken Inn 1-0 at home.
With five games to go, Simba Bhora extended their lead at the top to nine points. They continued with their fairy-tale run thanks to a Perfect Chikwende goal from a cross by Walter Musona.
The win over Chicken Inn took them to 60 points.
They extended the gap between them and second-placed FC Platinum after the Zvishavane side was forced to a 2-2 draw by relegation-threatened Hwange at the Colliery on Sunday.
The platinum miners forfeited a two-goal advantage after Shepherd Gadzikwa and Dominic Chungwa cancelled the early strikes by Shepherd Mhlanga and Oscar Bhebhe.
FC Platinum moved to 51 points after 29 rounds of Premiership action. But with just 15 points to play for in the remainder of the season, the maximum they can now reach is 66 points.
This has now been reduced to a two-horse race as the third team in the race on 44 points, can only go as far as 59 points, which means they are already out of the reckoning.
Bosso beat ZPC Kariba 2-0 at Barbourfields on Sunday and can only push for a strong finish in the remaining five games.
But for Simba Bhora, the title is theirs to lose. They have been in imperious form especially at home where they have not lost a game since the start of the season.
Simba Bhora are unbeaten in their last 13 league games, which is a joint longest unbeaten run this season. They last tasted defeat back in June.
But it is their home run that is more impressive with 13 wins and two draws since Wadzanai opened its gates to topflight football earlier this year.
Simba Bhora have turned Wadzanai into a cauldron where big teams like Dynamos, Highlanders, Manica Diamonds, and defending champions fell.
By adding Chicken Inn to their list of casualties, Simba Bhora took a giant step towards their title ambitions. Their dominance has also reflected in that their coach Tonderai Ndiraya was voted Coach of the Month for the last three months in a row.
Ndiraya was excited by the step they took at the weekend, as nearest rivals FC Platinum dropped points at the Colliery.
“It’s a very big win, very big three points, golden three points I should say,” Ndiraya told reporters.
They play Herentals (away)after the AFCON qualifiers break, before duels with CAPS United (home), Arenel Movers (away), FC Platinum home), and ZPC Kariba (away).
But away from the title matrix, the fans in Harare this weekend were treated to an entertaining duel in a well-attended edition of the Harare Derby.
CAPS United flexed their muscle after staging a valiant comeback victory in the last 20 minutes and claiming the bragging rights.
DeMbare outcast Jayden Bakari cancelled out Valentine Kadonzvo’s first-half strike with a 70th minute effort just moments after he was introduced as a second-half substitute.
Makepekepe eventually claimed the maximum points when veteran midfielder Rodwell Chinyengetere nodded home from a free-kick by Eric Manokore in the 82nd minute.
DeMbare dropped to ninth on 38 points, albeit with two games in hand, while the Green Machine moved to sixth position with 41 points.
Despite being a mid-table clash, the Harare Derby attracted a good crowd and produced moments to savour.
Sunday
Chegutu Pirates 2-1 Bikita Minerals
Dynamos 1-2 Caps United
Highlanders 2-0 ZPC Kariba
Hwange 2-2 FC Platinum
Saturday
Telone 1-0 Ngezi Platinum
Simba Bhora 1-0 Chicken Inn
Bulawayo Chiefs 0-0 Herentals
Yadah 5-3 Arenel Movers
GreenFuel 1-1 Manica Diamonds
Latest Standings
P W D L F A Pts
Simba Bhora 29 18 6 5 36 19 60
FC Platinum 29 14 9 6 38 23 51
Highlanders 29 10 11 7 34 25 44
Manica Diamonds 29 11 10 7 21 16 44
Ngezi Platinum 27 10 13 4 28 18 43
CAPS United 29 11 8 10 33 30 41
Herentals College 29 9 12 8 26 25 39
Chicken Inn 28 9 12 7 19 18 39
Dynamos 27 8 14 5 24 19 38
Yadah Stars 29 9 10 10 32 31 37
TelOne FC 29 6 14 8 33 30 35
ZPC Kariba 29 6 16 7 15 17 34
GreenFuel 29 7 12 10 22 27 33
Bulawayo Chiefs 29 6 13 10 19 25 1
Bikita Minerals 29 6 13 10 21 30 31
Hwange 28 6 10 12 18 29 28
Chegutu Pirates 29 5 8 16 17 34 23
Arenel Movers 29 4 10 15 19 38 22
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