adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
RUNAWAY leaders Bulawayo City are now just 360 minutes of football away from the Premier League after cruising to a comfortable away win over Hwange Under-20 on the same day that their closest rivals Bulawayo Chiefs slipped to a shattering defeat across town on Saturday. City hammered Hwange Under-20 3-0 at the Colliery Stadium to take their points tally to 55, nine clear of Chiefs, who lost 0-1 to ZPC Hwange.
City can now claim the sole ticket to the country’s flagship league if they win four of their remaining six games in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League. They can celebrate even earlier if Chiefs fail to collect maximum points in the process.
Chiefs can only end the season on 64 points, provided they win all their six remaining matches.
Philani “Beefy” Ncube’s City collected maximum points through three well taken goals by veteran Simba Sithole, Mkhululi Ncube and steady skipper Xolani “Scara” Moyo in a match watched by a sizeable crowd that included City chairman Jerry Sibanda and Matabeleland North Zifa boss Dennis Chuma.
City’s display was that of a well polished outfit hungry for a win. The defence was well marshalled by veteran Innocent Mapuranga, with young Lewis “Rambo” Ncube putting up a five star performance from the right-back position.
Another veteran, Ndodana Sibanda, was again at his usual best in goal and justified why City have only conceded five goals in 24 matches.
In a double header across town at Chakona Stadium in Ingagula suburb, the day belonged to home sides Makomo and ZPC Hwange, who both registered identical 1-0 wins over Bulawayo sides Bantu Rovers and Chiefs.
It was Tshintsha Guluva who first lost to a Tapera Ngwenya goal as Makomo collected three priceless points that pushed them away from the relegation zone.
Playing at a fast and exciting pace, the two teams went into the break tied 0-0, but were separated by the former Highlanders’ striker’s goal in the second half.
Justice Kaunda was the hero for ZPC Hwange with his goal that handed Chiefs their fourth defeat of the season and in the process dent their chances of narrowing the gap on City.
The Zifa Southern Region Musa Mandaza-led board resolved to have the two championship chasing sides playing their matches at the same time to avoid any pre-match calculations or match-fixing.
Results:
Makomo 1-0 Bantu Rovers, ZPC Hwange 1-0 Bulawayo Chiefs, Hwange U20 0-3 Bulawayo City, Casmyn 1-0 Ntabazinduna, Nust 3-0 Technosphere, Indlovu Iyanyathela 0-1 Amagagasi, Trumus 1-0 Mpumalanga
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