Makepekepe eye success in Bulawayo

Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

HARARE giants CAPS United will be out to tame a poor run stretching four games without winning when they face Bulawayo Chiefs at Luveve this afternoon.

Makepekepe, who play in Bulawayo for the second week running, after ironically hosting Highlanders at their temporarily-adopted Barbourfields home ground last week, have dropped from lofty heights to mid—table inside two months.

The Green Machine last won a match on May 6 and coach Lloyd Chitembwe has rallied his boys to turn the tide, as they expect a good crowd to back them in Bulawayo.

Last week their game against Highlanders at Barbourfields attracted 12 000 paying fans. But most of the spectators were Highlanders faithful.

“We are going out there obviously with a very clear intent to try and win it,” said Chitembwe.

“One good thing about Bulawayo is that it creates a very good football environment, and I am sure in that kind of a scenario we are able not to restrict ourselves to the way we want to play.

“So, I think we will be able to be fully expressive of ourselves and try and get a result.”

Makepekepe are still expecting Bulawayo fans to come in numbers despite the possible counter-attraction from the match pitting bitter rivals Dynamos and FC Platinum across town at Barbourfields.

“We are very appreciative of the supporters.

“CAPS United supporters are unique; they are always there for their team. Even through difficult times they have always been there for the team.

“We expect such from them because they have been leaders of the institution. I don’t think the club will survive without them.

“This is one season we need them the most because we are in a good position to win things,” said Chitembwe

Having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bosso in their last game, Makepekepe are hoping forward to rediscover their winning formula.

They have experienced an unexpected dip which has seen them dropping from the top of the table into ninth place in a short space of time.

Before the break, they had also lost by a similar margin to Cranborne Bullets. The defeat followed stalemates against Hwange and Simba Bhora.

“One thing for sure our loss to Highlanders was not a consequence of bad performance. The boys played really well. The positives are there to be consolidated and this is the reason we trained the entire week.

“Hopefully we will be able to try and replicate those positives and get the result we want at the end of the day,” said Chitembwe.

Bulawayo Chiefs are coming into the match on the back of challenges in their technical team following the sudden resignation of head coach Lizwe Sweswe.

CAPS United, however, are not reading much into that.

“I think the most important thing is they still have a team, and the coach is just one component in a football team, so it doesn’t really matter.

“What matters most obviously is the team and I am sure we just have to take care of the team,” said Chitembwe.

Chiefs have since appointed Joseph Sibindi to hold fort. The new coach he was unveiled during the dramatic week for the ambitious side.

Sibindi is oozing confidence ahead of the CAPS United assignment although the side will be missing captain Malvin Mkolo who is suspended for the tie.

“We have kept on working hard in training, that’s key, instilling some sense of discipline in terms of tactics and all other fundamentals of the game which include technique, physical and mental,” said Sibindi.

“Obviously CAPS United is a good side and we are not a bad side either. Despite the fact that we are enduring a bad patch, we are working on rectifying all that.

“Our captain Marlvin Mkolo is suspended for this fixture, but we have enough cover”.

Fixtures

Today:

Bulawayo Chiefs v CAPS United (Luveve)

Dynamos v FC Platinum (B/F)

Yadah v Black Rhinos (Baobab)

Cranborne Bullets v Herentals (Nyamhunga)

Tomorrow:

Greenfuel v Chicken Inn (Gibbo)

Hwange v ZPC Kariba (Colliery)

Highlanders v Triangle (B/F)

Sheasham v Ngezi Platinum(Bata)