Chicken Inn edge Byo City

Ricky Zililo in BULAWAYO
Chicken Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 1

Bulawayo City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0

A first half goal by Innocent Mucheneka powered Chicken Inn to their first ever Castle Lager Premier Soccer League win over Bulawayo City played at Luveve Stadium yesterday.

City, who are in their second Premiership year, beat Chicken Inn home and away last season and edged their cross town rivals 2-1 in the first leg of the 2017 season.

The 2015 Premiership champions, however, secured maximum points courtesy of a 12th minute goal by Mucheneka, who hit the target after getting to the end of a cutback from Clemence Matawu.

The victory took Chicken Inn’s points’ tally to 35, two behind log leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars, who battered Hwange 4-1 at Baobab yesterday.

Chicken Inn are now third on the table, tied on 35 points with second-placed FC Platinum, who they face next weekend in Zvishavane.

Yesterday’s victory gave Chicken Inn coach Rahman Gumbo reason to believe that they can challenge for the title.

“Obviously this win keeps us within the leading group and we would like to stay there because at this stage of the season, you can’t afford to slip up if you’re to remain in the championship race. “Local derbies are always a problem and the game was up to the players to decide. I’m happy with how my players fought for the points against a Bulawayo City side, which had been our bogey team. They tried to throw everything at us in the second half, but we managed to hold on to our lead,” said Gumbo.

The clash lived up to the derby billing, with both sets of players giving their all, as they fought for every ball.

City were unlucky not to equalise two minutes after Chicken Inn’s goal as the upright came to the former champions’ rescue to deny Clive Rupiya a goal off a Zephaniah Ngodzo cross from the right. The rebound fell to City’s best player of the day Ishmael Wadi, but the attacking midfielder, who is on loan from FC Platinum, failed to direct his effort on target.

City had another chance to equalise in the 26th minute, but Rupiya chose to be selfish and took a weak shot at Chicken Inn’s goal instead of passing the ball to a better placed Wadi, who was facing goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze.

Chicken Inn defender Guide Goddard had a 31st minute long-range effort pushed over for a corner by City goalkeeper Liberty Chirava.