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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
ONE more win and FC Platinum will be officially crowned the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions for the fourth season running!
The platinum miners took a giant step towards their destiny when they beat Herentals 1-0 at Mandava on Saturday.
In-form forward Walter Musona scored the only goal of the match, which could have seen them wrapping up the title contest at the weekend, with four games remaining.
But they were made to wait a little bit longer before popping the champagne bottles following the win by Dynamos over basement side Whawha 1-0 at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Still, the platinum miners are eleven points ahead of Dynamos with four games to play in the season. They climbed to 67 points on Saturday while Dynamos dislodged Chicken Inn into second place with 56 points.
And now the league title is now more difficult to miss than to hit for Norman Mapeza and his men. The Zvishavane side now need just two points from the available 12 in the last four games to seal the championship.
This is because nearest rivals Dynamos could only end on 68 points if they are to win all their remaining games, which makes them mathematical candidates.
But in reality, the championship race is good as decided. There is no way FC Platinum will lose all their matches, considering the form they are currently enjoying.
Musona, who has been one of the outstanding players since his return from South Africa earlier this year, scored his 11th goal on Saturday against Herentals.
Musona has bagged five goals in the last four outings and this lifted him to joint second place in the Golden Boot race with Chicken Inn’s Brian Muza. The victory over Herentals stretched FC Platinum’s unbeaten run to 17 games. The platinum miners last lost a match on April 30 and, interestingly, the defeat was against Herentals.
They have had a dominant outing in the last six months and have not tasted defeat in both league and cup competitions during the period.
The platinum miners are actually aiming for a league and cup double after storming the semi-finals of the Chibuku Super Cup recently. They face Herentals, again, this weekend in the last four of the competition.
Mapeza has remained grounded on his feet and has been warning his players to avoid getting carried away by the form they are enjoying.
“We are aiming for results in these finals matches, just good results. That’s what we are playing for,” said Mapeza.
“I’m not worried about the margins; all I hope for is winning. Right now, there is pressure. Teams want to prove a point against us, so we are aiming at good results only. No need to be stylish in our approach. The final games are always tough and emotional.” FC Platinum are set to travel to Harare for their next league game to face giants CAPS United. They will also play Yadah, Triangle and Cranborne Bullets in their remaining games.
FC Platinum’s success meant giants Dynamos will have to endure an eighth year without celebrating a league title. The Glamour Boys last lifted the silverware back in 2014.
The best they could get this year will be second place. They swapped places with Chicken Inn on Sunday following their win over Whawha while the Gamecocks were held to a 2-2 draw by Highlanders at Barbourfields.
The Glamour Boys are now on 56 points and Chicken Inn have 55 points. Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya said they are aiming for a strong finish. “That is what we want to try and do,” he said.
“So we will keep grinding and see what happens at the end of the season. That is our intention, said Ndiraya.
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