admin
Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS star forward Charles Sibanda has set himself a target of a goal-per-game in their nine remaining Premier League matches as they aim to end their seven-year wait for the championship title.
Sibanda — who has already netted 12 times for his team, his latest the winner as they beat FC Platinum 1-0 on Sunday — remains confident that Kelvin Kaindu’s men can stop leaders Dynamos from winning their third league title in as many years.
“At the beginning of the season, I set myself a target of 20 goals and that has not changed,” Sibanda told Chronicle Sports.
The 2010 Soccer Star of the Year knows that to achieve his individual ambition, he must score at least a goal per match as the season enters the final third.
Against Platinum in Zvishavane, Sibanda struck early and his team rode their luck a few times to secure an important victory which kept them within a point of the champions who won 2-1 away to Triangle.
“As long as we’ve faith in everything we do, I don’t see us failing to achieve our goal,” Sibanda said of his team’s chances. “We’re not too focused on Dynamos
or any other team, our focus is on ourselves. We know that if we win the nine matches then we’re champions. That has to be our target. It’s within our hands.”
Their win on Sunday – attributed in no small part to the heroics of shot stopper Ariel Sibanda – was Norman Mapeza’s first defeat after taking charge at Platinum in the wake of Lloyd Mutasa’s departure.
Kaindu would also have been delighted to see the return of winger Rahman Kutsanzira from injury. He has not featured for Highlanders since their 4-0 mauling of CAPS United on May 4.
On Saturday, Bulawayo clubs Bantu Rovers and How Mine slid deeper into trouble with defeats on the road. Rovers lost 2-0 at ZPC Kariba and How Mine suffered a 3-0 reversal at the hands of Harare City.
With four teams set to be relegated at the end of the season, Rovers find themselves eight points from safety while the miners are desperately hanging onto the last safe spot.
Chicken Inn’s continued on their recovery path with a battling 2-0 win over Shabanie Mine as they took their points tally to 30 while climbing to seventh.
Joe Antipas, the Gamecocks coach, will be delighted with their improvement which sees them sit just eight points from the leaders after a forgettable start to the campaign.
At the Colliery, Alec Marime and veteran Gilbert Zulu scored as Hwange inflicted more pain on bottom-table Chiredzi, who have managed just 11 points from 21 matches.
So dominant were Hwange that the result could have been a rugby score – and their poor conversion rate would be something of a concern to their coach, Nation Dube.
“I wouldn’t really blame the players,” Dube reflected yesterday.
“The major problem for us has been injuries that have forced us to continuously rotate our players and that’s never good for the understanding between players to really make us dangerous in situations like we had against Chiredzi.”
Dube, whose Hwange team has amassed 34 points, is still watching the rear view mirror, insisting that his team is not safe from relegation.
“I think if we hit 38 points only then can we start planning for next year as a member of the Premier League otherwise now it’s still too early to do that, anything can happen,” he said.
Online Reporter