Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
IS home form key to winning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title?
Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas is fully convinced that collecting maximum points at home and grinding results on the road can guarantee the league title.
His side shot to the top of the premiership table after seeing off the challenge of ZPC Kariba 2-0 at Luveve Stadium on Sunday.
The result ensured that the 2015 league winners top the table with 15 points from a possible 18.
They only dropped points in their 1-2 loss to FC Platinum.
Manica Diamonds, who had led the table for a while dropped into second place on 13 points.
Although the Gamecocks dominated in terms of ball possession, it wasn’t easy breaching the ZPC Kariba defensive line until the 62nd minute when Moses Jackson broke the deadlock woth a header from Xolani Ndlovu’s cross and Brian Muza doubled the scoreline 10 minutes later.
Muza went on a solo run and guided the ball past Arnold Munkuli in goal for ZPC Kariba to take his goal tally to five from six appearances.
Antipas commended his players for an impressive second-half performances.
“I thought we had a solid performance.
We dominated both halves.
They were defensive in the first-half and we found it difficult to penetrate them.
In the second we were stronger.
Richard Hachiro was outstanding in the middle of the park and we controlled the game.
We now have to keep working and make sure that we keep winning,” said Antipas.
From the onset, the hosts were on top of things having much of the ball, but they failed to create real soring chances.
Clive Dzingai’s cross found Muza inside the box, but the latter could not direct his header towards goal.
In first-half additional time Richard Hachiro tried his luck from a distance, but his effort flew over the cross bar.
Two minutes after the break Bret Amidu also tried his luck from just outside the box, but sent his effort wide.
Chicken Inn were the better side in the second-half and surely deserved all three points.
“So far so good. Lots of work to do for us to be perfect.
In football, perfection is the only way to go.
We are trying to get ourselves up the log.
The pressure is now on us, but we need to handle that pressure.
“We have to rectify our problem from last year, which was failure to win our home games.
To win the championship you have to win the home games and then try and grind results away from home.
We have to improve our home form and then we can stand a chance.
But still it’s early days and I’m happy about the league title,” said Antipas.
Elsewhere, Caps United were the weekend’s biggest winners, thumping Whawha 6-0.
The Green Machine had gone into the match still smarting from a 2-6 hammering by Manica Diamonds last week.
Veterans, William Manondo and Rodwell Chinyengetere scored a hat-trick and a brace respectively, while teenage substitute Tatenda Makurumidze completed the rout.
Tenax SC piled more pressure on Bosso head coach Mandla Mpofu by sharing the spoils with the fading Bulawayo giants in a goalless draw.
Mpofu said he was going to build on the draw.
“I would have wanted the team to get maximum points, but we failed.
The draw itself was not easy.
Both Manica Diamonds and Tenax have created a fortress at Sakubva.
It is not easy for any team in the league to come and get maximum points here at Sakubva.
“Therefore, I am happy with how my boys played and I just hope we will build on that draw and get maximum points in our next match, more so coming from a disappointing defeat against Bulawayo City,” said Mpofu.
There was drama at Barbourfields Stadium on Saturday when Bulawayo Chiefs were handed a penalty against Dynamos.
It took a 15-minute stoppage before the spot kick could be taken after Dynamos players and officials protested the referee’s decision.
Chiefs went on to miss that penalty when it was eventually taken and went on to lose the match 0-2, much to the chagrin of their
Portuguese coach Nilton Terroso, who said he’d never witnessed such chaos and disrespect for match officials in his career.
Match Day 6 results
Caps United 6-0 WhaWha, Tenax 0-0 Highlanders
Triangle United 1-0 Ngezi Platinum, Chicken Inn 2-0 ZPC Kariba, Cranborne Bullets 1-3 Black Rhinos, Bulawayo Chiefs 0-2 Dynamos,FC Platinum 1-0 Harare City, Herentals 1-1 Bulawayo City, Yadah 1-1 Manica Diamon
-@innocentskizoe
Online Reporter