Antipas warns against complacency

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

CHICKEN Inn hope to build on last weekend’s 2-0 away league win over Manica Diamonds when they host Bosso in a Bulawayo derby at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.

The Gamecocks are fourth on the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table with 12 points and trail title holders, FC Platinum, by two points while struggling Bosso are third from the bottom.

Last weekend Chicken Inn coach, Joey Antipas, watched in awe as his side bounced back from two consecutive 1-0 defeats to Ngezi Platinum Stars and FC Platinum to beat Manica Diamonds at Gibbo Stadium.

Antipas, who led defunct Motor Action to the 2010 Premiership title, is wary of their weekend opponents and wants his players to guard against complacency.

“Obviously our first aim is to build up from last weekend’s game and get another set of three-points. It’s going to be a tough game because we’re playing a good side Highlanders who are going through a bad spell and that happens in football. What we should simply do is not read much into their performance and try to get maximum points so that we keep up with the other championship chasing teams. We don’t want to be Highlanders’ first victims of the season, but in football there are three results, a win, a draw and a defeat. We hope to emerge victorious from the clash,” said Antipas.

Chicken Inn, who hammered Highlanders 4-0 in a preseason match, will be hoping that their 2019 signings goalkeeper Donovan Bernard, right-back Phakamani Dube, central midfielder Sipho Ndlovu, attacking midfielder Valentine Kadonzvo, winger Marlvin Gaki and striker Clive Augusto continue with their league form.

Augusto is the league’s leading scorer with five goals in six games and is one of the players capable of punishing Highlanders should their defence go to sleep.

Chicken Inn can also count on veteran midfielder; Clemence Matawu, box-to-box midfielder Innocent Mucheneka, wingers George Majika and Nicky Mutatiwa to harm Bosso.

Highlanders are yet to score at Barbourfields Stadium this season and head into the game coming from a 0-0 draw against Hwange.

Their biggest undoing has been their failure to convert scoring chances they create.

In a clear desperation to break the ice against Hwange last weekend, the Bosso technical team fielded all their four strikers, Prince Dube, Peter Nyirenda, Bukhosi Sibanda and Tinashe Makanda in the starting line-up, but still they failed to score.

Match Day Seven
fixtures

Tomorrow:
Harare City v Bulawayo Chiefs (Rufaro), Mushowani Stars v Black Rhinos (National Sports Stadium), Chicken Inn v Highlanders (Barbourfields), ZPC Kariba v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Nyamhunga)

Sunday: Triangle United v Caps United (Gibbo), Herental v Manica Diamonds (National Sports Stadium), Yadah v Dynamos (Rufaro), TelOne v FC Platinum (Luveve), Hwange v Chapungu (Colliery)

Table

P W D L F A GD PTS

FC Platinum 6 4 2 0 9 3 6 14

Caps United 5 4 1 0 9 1 8 13

Hwange 6 4 1 1 7 4 3 13

Chicken Inn 6 4 0 2 9 4 5 12

ZPC Kariba 6 4 0 2 6 5 1 12

Chapungu 5 3 1 1 10 4 6 10

Ngezi Platinum 6 3 1 2 6 5 1 10

Black Rhinos 5 2 2 1 7 7 0 8

Herentals 6 1 4 1 3 3 0 7

Triangle United 6 2 1 3 7 8 -1 7