adminRicky Zililo Sports Reporter
FORMER Premiership club Bantu Rovers are enjoying a good run in the second half of the Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League where they have gone for eight games unbeaten.Bantu Rovers who are under the tutelage of one of the country’s most promising coaches Thulani “Thuts” Sibanda, remain the only club that is yet to concede a goal since the start of the second half of the season.
They have picked up 20 points out of a possible 24 having won six games and played two draws compared to log leaders Bulawayo Chiefs who have only managed 13 points from a possible 24 in the second half.
Ex-national team coach Rahman Gumbo is in charge of Bulawayo Chiefs who have failed to produce the same form that they were in the first half of the season.
At this stage in the first half, Bulawayo Chiefs were comfortably sitting at the top of the log with 21 points from eight matches and enjoying a six-point lead over ZPC Hwange, Black Boots and Bantu Rovers who were tied on 15 points.
Clubs in the league have upped the tempo with the most notable being Bulawayo Jumbos who are enjoying a fine run under Dalubuhle Bhebhe and have managed to get 14 points from their eight games in the second half.
Actually, Bulawayo Jumbos have made a significant improvement since the coming on board of Bhebhe who has managed to steer them out of the murky relegation waters.
From the look of things, the championship race is likely to be a three-team contest featuring Bulawayo Chiefs, Black Boots and Bantu Rovers.
Tumediso “Drogba” Mokoena’s bankrolled-New West are the championship dark horses. In the relegation fight, Ajax Hotspurs, Rufaro Rovers, Ntabazinduna and Mkhosana are finding the going tough and if they do not improve, they are destined for Division Two next season.
Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League
Second half log standing
P W D L F A Pts
Bantu Rovers 8 6 2 0 9 0 20
Black Boots 8 5 2 1 13 6 17
New West City 8 5 2 1 11 7 17
Bulawayo Jumbos 8 4 2 2 7 7 14
Hwange Juniors 8 4 1 3 10 5 13
Bulawayo Chiefs 8 4 1 3 8 5 13
Technosphere 8 4 1 3 11 8 13
ZPC Hwange 8 4 0 4 12 12 12
Zimbabwe Saints 8 3 2 3 8 5 11
Mpumalanga 7 3 2 2 9 7 11
Ntabazinduna 8 3 2 3 5 4 11
Tsholotsho 8 3 1 4 10 10 10
Quelaton 7 2 2 3 8 7 8
Mkhosana 8 1 1 6 4 18 4
Rufaro Rovers 8 0 1 7 3 19 1
Ajax Hotspurs 8 0 0 8 3 17 0
Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League
How they stood after eight games in the first half
P W D L F A Pts
Bulawayo Chiefs 8 7 0 1 16 3 21
ZPC Hwange 8 4 3 1 16 8 15
Black Boots 8 4 3 1 11 6 15
Bantu Rovers 8 5 0 3 10 7 15
Quelaton 8 5 0 3 13 11 15
Ajax Hotspurs 8 4 1 3 7 8 13
New West 8 4 1 3 11 18 13
Zimbabwe Saints 8 3 2 3 15 11 11
Rufaro Rovers 8 3 1 4 5 7 10
Tsholotsho Pirates 8 2 4 2 4 6 10
Technosphere 8 3 0 5 9 8 9
Hwange Juniors 8 2 3 3 7 9 9
Mkhosana 8 2 2 4 5 13 8
Bulawayo Jumbos 8 2 1 5 5 15 7
Mpumalanga 8 1 2 5 6 14 5
Ntabazinduna 8 1 1 6 2 8 4
How they stood at halfway stage through the season
P W D L F A Pts
Bulawayo Chiefs 15 12 1 2 25 6 37
Black Boots 15 7 7 1 22 10 28
Tsholotsho FC 15 7 5 3 17 10 26
Quelaton 15 8 1 6 21 21 25
Technosphere 15 7 3 5 18 12 24
Zimbabwe Saints 15 7 3 5 21 18 23
New West 15 7 2 6 20 18 23
Bantu Rovers 15 7 1 7 14 13 22
ZPC Hwange 15 5 6 4 22 14 21
Hwange Juniors 15 5 6 4 14 13 21
Mkhosana 15 5 2 8 11 23 17
Ajax Hotspurs 15 5 1 9 12 21 16
Mpumalanga 15 3 5 7 12 19 14
Bulawayo Jumbos 15 3 3 9 10 22 12
Rufaro Rovers 15 3 3 9 9 21 12
Ntabazinduna 15 2 5 8 6 13 11
Latest Log
P W D L F A PTS
Bulawayo Chiefs 23 16 2 5 33 11 50
Black Boots 23 12 9 2 35 16 45
Bantu Rovers 23 13 3 7 23 13 42
New West 23 12 4 7 31 25 40
Technosphere 23 11 4 8 29 20 37
Tsholotsho 23 10 6 7 27 20 36
Zimbabwe Saints 23 10 5 8 29 23 35
Hwange Juniors 23 9 7 7 24 18 34
ZPC Hwange 23 9 6 8 34 26 33
Quelaton 22 10 3 9 29 28 33
Bulawayo Jumbos 23 7 5 11 18 30 26
Mpumalanga 22 6 7 9 21 26 25
Mkhosana 23 7 3 13 18 38 24
Ntabazinduna 22 5 7 11 11 17 22
Ajax Hotspurs 23 5 1 17 16 39 16
Rufaro Rovers 23 3 4 16 12 40 13
Remaining fixtures
Week 24: Rufaro Rovers v Bulawayo Jumbos, Quelaton v Zimbabwe saints, Bulawayo Chiefs v Technosphere, ZPC Hwange v Ajax Hotspurs, Tsholotsho v Black Boots, Mpumalanga v Bantu Rovers, New West v Hwange Juniors, Ntabazinduna v Mkhosana
Week 25: Bulawayo Jumbos v New West, Technosphere v Rufaro, Black Boots v Bulawayo Chiefs, Zimbabwe Saints v Tsholotsho, Ajax v Quelaton, Bantu Rovers v ZPC Hwange, Mkhosana v Mpumalanga, Hwange v Ntabazinduna
Week 26: Mpumalanga v Hwange Juniors, New West v Technosphere, Rufaro Rovers v Black Boots, Bulawayo Chiefs v Zimbabwe Saints, Tsholotsho v Ajax Hotspurs, Quelaton v Bantu Rovers, ZPC Hwange, Mkhosana, Ntabazinduna v Bulawayo Jumbos
Week 27: Technosphere v Ntabazinduna, Bantu Rovers v Tsholotsho, Mkhosana v Quelaton, Hwange Juniors v ZPC Hwange, Bulawayo Jumbos v Mpumalanga, Black Boots v New West, Zimbabwe Saints v Rufaro Rovers, Ajax Hotspurs v Bulawayo Chiefs
Week 28: Tsholotsho v Mkhosana, Quelaton v Hwange Juniors, ZPC Hwange v Bulawayo Jumbos, Mpumalanga v Technosphere, Ntabazinduna v Black Boots, New West v Zimbabwe Saints, Rufaro Rovers v Ajax Hotspurs, Bulawayo Chiefs v Bantu Rovers
Week 29: Hwange Juniors v Tsholotsho, Bantu Rovers v Rufaro Rovers, Black Boots v Mpumalanga, Ajax Hotspurs v New West, Mkhosana v Bulawayo Chiefs, Bulawayo Jumbos v Quelaton, Technosphere v ZPC Hwange, Zimbabwe Saints v Ntabazinduna
Week 30: Mpumalanga v Zimbabwe Saints, Rufaro Rovers v Mkhosana, Tsholotsho v Bulawayo Jumbos, Quelaton v Technosphere, Ntabazinduna v Ajax, New West v Bantu Rovers, Bulawayo Chiefs v Hwange Juniors, ZPC Hwange v Black Boots
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