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Chicken Inn, beaten 2-1 by Dynamos to register their third loss following 1-0 defeats to Hardbody and Buffaloes, now lie 11th on the log, an unfashionable position for a team that at one time led the standings and the management says the phase should stop, and stop forthwith.
“We are really worried as a club, including the players themselves. We still have faith in our technical team led by Adam Ndlovu though,” said secretary Tawengwa Hara.
He, however, said if the losing streak continued, their position on the bench might change, a suggestion that Ndlovu might just be the second PSL coach in Bulawayo to be shown the door after Quelaton fired their coach Thulani Sibanda.
The Gamecocks played the better part of the match with 10 men following the expulsion of skipper Herbert Dick in the 36th minute after he pulled a goal-bound Takesure Chinyama.
Ndlovu told the media after the game that they played better with a man down and had they done that with a full squad, the result could have been different.
DeMbare got their goals through an impressive Denver Mukamba and the ageless Murape Murape with Danny Phiri scoring for Chicken Inn.
Dynamos lie second with 16 points, three behind leaders Highlanders who have a game in hand against Dynamos, likely to be played this Sunday at Barbourfields Stadium.
At Barbourfields Stadium, it was a day where two Zambians saw red while the other continued with his winning ways.
Hwange defender Aaron Katebe, a recently capped Zambian national team player, and his coach Tennant Chilumba, were victims of inept refereeing by Mlindeli Ndebele which saw them being red carded for offences they did not commit.
Katebe was shown a straight red card five minutes before full time for a crime that was committed by his teammate Daniel Kamunenga who elbowed Masimba Mambare in an off the ball incident and as he was walking off the pitch he poked assistant referee Salani Ncube.
Chilumba, seeing his player’s unbecoming behaviour, jumped out of his seat and warned him but then out of the blue, Ndebele came charging, ready to strike and sent Chilumba to the stands.
“We had our guy who was recording the match so we are going to have a look at the video before taking action. If indeed we see that Katebe never did anything wrong, a formal complaint will be lodged with the Premier Soccer League,” said Hwange secretary Burzil Dube yesterday.
There is a likelihood that if the PSL also sees the video then perhaps the card could be reversed as Katebe could be a victim come end of season when Soccer Stars are selected while Chilumba, the reigning Castle Lager Coach of the Year, could also be affected by the decision.
Ndebele, normally an above average referee, simply did not come to the party on Sunday with some questionable decisions, especially the flashing of cards.
The cards might haunt Highlanders the most as they play old nemesis Dynamos on Sunday with Mthulisi Maphosa and Eric Mudzingwa set to miss the match if they get any cautions against Shabanie Mine tomorrow.
Away from that, Hwange came into the match probably with one mind and that was to control damage with a hope to catch Highlanders on counter attacks.
They congested the midfield with their wingers not going wide as expected, in an effort to suffocate the fluid Highlanders midfield that has the evergreen Maphosa.
Bosso controlled the match but could not breach the Hwange defence and the visitors too found going forward difficult as shown by their first shot at goal that came well after 10 minutes.
For the first time this season Highlanders were denied a goal in the first half at Barbourfields Stadium and the majority at the venue suddenly realised that things might even turn out for the worst.
Some though started uttering:
“In Kaindu we believe”. How true that turned out to be.
Seeing that Hwange had congested the midfield and most of the play was in the middle, Kaindu pushed Simon Munawa wide on the right and Chipangano players fell for the change. They followed him.
This allowed impressive Bruce Kangwa to make forays upfront, which was further complemented by the introduction of wingmaster Masimba Mambare who came in for an equally impressive Heritein Masuku in the 57th minute.
Had Munawa been at his usual best, he might as well have grabbed or created a number of goals for his team. He was pulled out for Ndiweni later in the game.
The elusive goal finally came in the 78th minute when substitute Beavan Chikaka scored a brilliant goal off a nice curler from Kangwa.
Zvishavane-based outfits FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine had a fruitful weekend, both collecting maximum points. FC Platinum got the better of Gunners 2-1, while Luke Masomere’s boys registered a 1-0 win over Black Mambas.
The platinum miners are third with 15 points while their neighbours occupy fourth spot with the same number of points but an inferior goal difference.
Rahman Gumbo is yet to lose a match following that 3-1 home defeat to a super charged Highlanders that almost saw him lose his job but credit should be given to the team management for not bowing to supporters’ calls for Gumbo to be relieved of his duties. Perhaps it also shows that Highlanders are indeed a good side this season.
It was another fruitful weekend for a Caps United who recorded their second straight victory following a 1-0 win over log anchors Blue Rangers. Makepekepe now lie eighth on the standings with 11 points.
Weekend Results
Sunday: Dynamos 2, Chicken Inn 1; Highlanders 1, Hwange 0; Buffaloes 1, Motor Action 0; Hardbody 1, Harare City 1.
Saturday: CAPS United 1, Blue Rangers 0; FC Platinum 2, Gunners 1; Black Mambas 0, Shabanie 1; Monomotapa 1, Quelaton 0.
Online Reporter