Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere [email protected]
THE pressure is rising on Bulawayo’s leading Premier Soccer League sides as Matchday 27 brings three demanding fixtures, with Highlanders, Chicken Inn and Bulawayo Chiefs all facing opponents with plenty to play for.
At the centre of attention will be Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday, where Highlanders play host to Herentals College.
Bosso go into the match after being held to a 1–1 draw by city rivals Chicken Inn in a midweek derby, a result that left neither side able to claim bragging rights. Highlanders will now be expected to respond at home, where the pressure from their supporters is likely to be intense.
Herentals, meanwhile, will arrive knowing that an away victory would represent a significant result against one of the country’s biggest clubs.
For Chicken Inn coach Tonderai Ndiraya, the weekend carries a different kind of significance as he prepares to take his Gamecocks to Rufaro Stadium to face former club Dynamos.
Ndiraya has a strong connection with DeMbare, having previously coached the Harare giants before going on to win successive league titles with Simba Bhora and Scottland. His move to Chicken
Inn has added another chapter to a coaching career that has increasingly been defined by high-pressure assignments.
The Chicken Inn boss will now have to plot a way past a Dynamos side that has shown resilience against the league’s leading opposition. The Harare giants recently shared the spoils with table-toppers Scottland, setting up another intriguing battle when the Gamecocks arrive at Rufaro.
Ndiraya has previously spoken of the demands of facing former clubs, stressing that respect for an opponent must not distract his team from the task of competing for maximum points. His record of taking on former employers has already produced emotionally charged encounters, including his meeting with Scottland earlier this season.
For Chicken Inn, the immediate concern will be converting the encouraging parts of their derby performance into a result. The 1–1 draw with Highlanders showed their ability to compete, but
Rufaro presents a different challenge, particularly against a Dynamos side that will enjoy home support.
Saturday’s fixture at Luveve Stadium could be equally uncompromising, with Bulawayo Chiefs hosting CAPS United at 3PM. Chiefs are coming off a 1–0 defeat to second-placed Hardrock at Chahwanda Stadium in a Chibuku Super Cup encounter that ended on a sour note, with tempers flaring after the final whistle.
That defeat means Chiefs will have little room for error when CAPS United arrive in Bulawayo. They will need to recover quickly, particularly in a fixture where concentration and discipline could prove decisive.
The Chiefs camp will also be conscious of the need to separate the disappointment of the cup defeat from their league campaign. The task now is to produce a response on home soil rather than allow one setback to become a sequence of poor results.
Across the city, attention will then turn to Barbourfields and Rufaro on Sunday, with Highlanders and Chicken Inn both facing opponents capable of making life difficult.
For the Bulawayo clubs, this is a weekend about more than fixtures on a schedule. Highlanders need to turn a derby draw into three points, Chicken Inn need to build on their point against Bosso, while Chiefs must put their cup disappointment behind them.
The margins are becoming smaller, the pressure is growing and, by Sunday evening, Bulawayo’s football landscape could look very different.
-@FungaiMuderere
