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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
CHICKEN INN coach Joey Antipas says the Gamecocks are determined to maintain their spot at the apex as teams in the top five of the Castle Lager Premiership football table face-off in exciting match-ups this weekend.
The Gamecocks, who have led the race for the past month, host defending champions and FC Platinum in a top-of-the table clash at Luveve this afternoon.
Giants Dynamos, who currently occupy third place, have a tricky home date with fifth-placed Triangle at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow.
Manica Diamonds, who have also punched above their weight this season to find themselves in promising fourth place at this stage of the campaign, date Bulawayo City at Sakubva.
But the drawcard for this weekend should be the clash between Chicken Inn and closest rivals FC Platinum. The teams are only separated by a point at the top of the table, where Chicken Inn enjoy a slight advantage with 38 points.
But any slip up today could see them exchanging places with the Zvishavane side, who have been on a perfect run after collecting maximum points in their last five games.
Chicken Inn coach Antipas yesterday said the Gamecocks were in high spirits and were looking to build on their performances from the 4-1 victory over Cranborne Bullets in their last game.
“So far, so good,” said Antipas.
“There is a good vibe in camp and we are looking forward to the game. For sure it’s a stern test for us, and for FC Platinum as well. We just hope for a good game and good refereeing too.
“FC Platinum have been doing well of late and you can’t doubt their quality. They have a good squad and a good coach, so it’s not going to be an easy game.
“But we are prepared to fight hard for the result that we want. The guys have been focused and working very hard to win games. That’s the big positive we have this year,” said Antipas.
The Gamecocks, however, will be without goalkeeper Donovan Bernard who picked up his third yellow card against Cranborne Bullets in their last outing in Mutare.
Veteran defender Passmore Bernard is still unavailable as he completes his two-match suspension for the red card he picked just before the mid-season break.
But the good news for Antipas is the return of midfielders Richard Hachiro and Michael Charamba from lengthy injury layoffs.
FC Platinum are still monitoring their senior players Petros Mhari and William Stima, who have been out with injuries for a couple of weeks now. Hagazio Magaya was set to take a late fitness test yesterday to determine his availability.
Still Mapeza was confident of another fruitful outing, although he remained cautious of the challenge they expected from Chicken Inn.
Mapeza knows the league is still there for the taking for any team in the league, where nine points separated the top and the fifth team on the log standings, with 16 matches still to be played in the marathon.
“Not taking away anything from Chicken Inn. Joey Antipas and his technical team have been doing well. They have been doing a fantastic job but Saturday’s game won’t determine the destiny of the championship.
“We still have about 16 matches to go. Like Joey said, it’s a massive game for them, it’s a massive game for us but it doesn’t mean that those who win on Saturday will talk of winning the championship yet.
“Dynamos are still in the mix. Manica Diamonds, Triangle and Ngezi Platinum are also still in the mix. Anything can happen. It’s a game of football but what is important is we are running our own race. We just need to put more focus on what we are doing as a club,” said Mapeza.
Dynamos will be watching from a distance as they seek to keep abreast with the top teams. With 34 points in the bag, a win against Triangle could draw them closer to the top in the event either Chicken Inn or FC Platinum falter or in the case of a draw this afternoon.
“Of course, it’s an opportunity for us to close the gap when the two tops teams play together but it can only be a good opportunity if we do the job ourselves. That’s what we are concerned about,” said DeMbare coach Tonderai Ndiraya.
“We are focusing more on doing our own job and then see what happens. We know there is still time and there is quite a number of points to play for and it’s important for us to keep in touching distance with teams at the top.
“So it’s an opportunity for us, depending on the result on the day. We don’t know what the result is going to be but whichever result that comes out there, we must make sure we do our own job on Sunday so that we keep ourselves within touching distance.”
Castle Lager Premiership Fixtures
Today: ZPC Kariba v Yadah (Nyamhunga Stadium), Black Rhinos v Herentals (Vengere), Harare City v CAPS United (National Sports Stadium), Chicken Inn v FC Platinum (Luveve)
Tomorrow: Ngezi Platinum Stars v Highlanders (Baobab), Dynamos v Triangle (National Sports Stadium), Bulawayo Chiefs v Cranborne Bullets (Luveve), Manica Diamonds v Bulawayo City (Sakubva), Whawha v Tenax (Ascot)
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