Antipas to wield butcher’s knife at Chicken Inn

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE axe could fall on some players at Chicken Inn after head coach Joey Antipas accused some of now living in the comfort zone.

Although Antipas did not mention any names, he appears to be unhappy with a number of senior players, whom he feels are not living up to expectations.

The GameCocks may be topping the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table, but Antipas is unhappy that they have been failing to secure maximum points in their past few games.

They were lucky to escape a home defeat to Yadah on Saturday when an injury time strike by Leroy Ndlovu helped them snatch a point in a 1-1 draw.

The comeback, however, did not impress Antipas, who felt they should never have found themselves trailing 0-1 in additional time.

“When you are playing at home, you don’t have to be that desperate for points. Two points definitely dropped. It’s not the end of the world, but we need to rectify the problems that we are having. We have to go back and try and polish up our act,” said Antipas.

“We will also try and bring in some players during the window because I think some of our players are now living in the comfort zone and are not pitching up. We need one or two players to come and freshen up the squad during the transfer window,” he said.

The GameCocks top the log with 32 points, one ahead of second-placed Dynamos, who have played a game less.

What is worrying Antipas is that they have failed to win in their last two home games after being held to a goalless draw by Herentals at Luveve Stadium prior to last Saturday’s stalemate.

For a team that is hoping to win the league, Chicken Inn cannot afford to keep dropping points at home. The fortunate part for the GameCocks is that teams chasing them are also struggling for consistency.

Dynamos’ chaotic management system was manifested in the team’s dull performance against Herentals, which saw the two teams sharing points in a goalless match.

The Dynamos executive suspended coach Tonderayi Ndiraya for the whole of last week, only to lift it 48 hours before Sunday’s contest without any satisfactory explanation.

The scoreless match saw DeMbare missing an opportunity to go top of the league table.

FC Platinum, who appear to have found their rhythm, climbed into third place with 28 points following a 4-0 thumping of Triangle United.

The platinum miners had had a slow start to the season and struggled against most teams, as coach Norman Mapeza sought to come up with the right combinations after letting go of a number of senior players and rebuilding using unheralded youngsters.

The win was so emphatic that Mapeza believes it’s a sign that his youthful squad is destined for good times in the league campaign.

At the bottom end of the table, it was yet another positive result for Bulawayo City, who are making steady progress in the battle to survive relegation.

They managed to get a point on the road by holding Harare City to goalless draw in the capital.

This made it five points for new coach Farai Tawachera after he managed a 1-1 draw with Dynamos in his first match in charge followed by an emphatic 3-0 thrashing of ZPC Kariba in his next game.

Highlanders’ caretaker coach Joel Luphahla could not break the team’s jinx on the road when they played to a 0-0 draw against ZPC Kariba at Nyamhunga Stadium.

Luphahla was barking instructions from the bench in his first match after surviving the axe that chopped head coach Mandla Mpofu, assistant Bekithemba Ndlovu and goalkeepers’ coach Julius Ndlovu.

Luphahla had vowed to end the four-year winless streak away from Bulawayo, but he too seemed to have been jinxed by a

problem that started while he was still coaching Division One side TelOne in Gweru.

Luphahla may not be in charge in the next match, as Highlanders have promised that a substantive technical bench should be

in place in time for their next fixture against Harare City at Barbourfields in five days’ time.

Results
Dynamos 0-0 Herentals,

Bulawayo Chiefs 2-0 Caps United,

FC Platinum 4-0 Triangle United,

Chicken Inn 1-1 Yadah,

Ngezi Platinum 0-0 Manica Diamonds,

Black Rhinos 1-0 WhaWha,

Harare City 0-0 Bulawayo City,

Tenax 1-0 Cranborne Bullets,