adminRay Bande Senior Sports Reporter
MUTARE City Rovers now hold the destiny of their 2015 Premiership promotion campaign firmly in their hands and will only need to win their last two matches to guarantee themselves of a place in the Castle Lager Premiership season. Rovers need to beat Hartley Academy on Sunday at Sakubva Stadium to take their tally to 68 points and labour for the same result away against Ruwa Gunners in the last round of league fixtures next weekend.
Gusha Bhora, as Rovers are fondly referred to, pummelled stubborn Melfort FC into submission at Sakubva Stadium a fortnight ago on a day that the then log leaders Hartley Academy were held by Gaza Gunners at Gaza Stadium in Chipinge. The two results left City Rovers assuming pole position and things remained the same last weekend as both City Rovers and Hartley Academy drew their weekend matches.
However, Masvingo United, who were in third position, frog jumped into second position after winning their league match over the weekend and are now trailing Mutare City Rovers by a single point, hence the need for Rovers to win two of their remaining matches for them to get promoted.
It is now two matches left before the curtain comes down on the Eastern Region Division One season. Naturally, the administrators of the league are excited about the level of competition in the league. “So far so good. The competition is stiff and fierce. We are known to be a no nonsense league.
“The good thing is that tough and sometimes nasty as it might be this year, the teams are showcasing exciting football talent,” said Zifa Eastern Region general manager, Tedious Machawira. Mutare City Rovers reckon the need of keeping their foot on the pedal in the last two matches of the season.
“As a team with the objective of being promoted, we are now at the most important stage where we should not lose the football focus. “This match against Hartley Academy will probably decide our destiny in as far as promotion is concerned. “We will be very cautious in all departments and as a team we have done our home work and this is the match that we have been all waiting for.
“The players, the coaches and the executive have been doing marvellous duties in order for us to reach this stage. “Yes, we are obviously happy at being at the top of the log, but we need to guard against complacency. We will fight to the end until it is over. “We have told our coaches and players to maintain the winning streak. As a God fearing team we also now invoke the Heavenly powers to guide us to football prosperity.
“The supporters have been a major factor and we are paying back to them this Sunday. “We will be charging $1 for two people. So we are hereby inviting all the football fans in Mutare to come in their numbers to support the football dream. We will open the gates at 10am and all the major entry points to the stadium will be open.
“All football lovers in Mutare and the whole of Manicaland should now come to finish off this mission together. We are in this together and this is the time that football binds us as one football family from Manicaland.
“Sponsors and stakeholders can come forward and help the team to finish off the football journey and we would not want to forget our very loyal supporters to keep on the partnership,” reads a statement from the club spokesperson, Clayton ‘Baggio’ Masekesa.
Be that as it may, the Mutare Municipal outfit would need to strictly guard against complacency and inconsistency in the remaining must-win fixtures if they entertain hopes of playing in the top flight league.
Over the years, Mutare City Rovers have perfected the art of raising hopes of Premiership promotion for their fans, only to falter where it matters most. Considering that Dongo Sawmills has already been relegated, while Buffaloes face real danger of being relegated, promotion of City Rovers might be just what the doctor ordered for football in Manicaland.
Online Reporter