dyton mupawaenda
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
ONE hurdle cleared, one final test to survive!
CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe, battling to save his job under a two-match ultimatum, has kept the club’s management and restless supporters on edge ahead of a crunch Castle Lager Premiership showdown against familiar foes FC Platinum at Rufaro tomorrow.
The ailing Harare giants showed flickers of life with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Yadah at the weekend, a result that offered Chitembwe a temporary reprieve in a season teetering on the brink.
Now, with the final leg of his ultimatum looming, Chitembwe faces an even sterner test as CAPS United rekindle their growing rivalry with FC Platinum, a side still unbeaten this season.
The big question is: can Makepekepe become the first team to breach the platinum miners’ armour?
Can they succeed where surprise log leaders MWOS and other top-half sides like Simba Bhora, Scottland, and Manica Diamonds have all fallen short?
Chitembwe knows better than most what’s at stake, and how personal the rivalry has become against his close acquaintance, FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza.
Interestingly, CAPS United have a slight historical edge in this fixture. Since FC Platinum stormed into the top-flight in 2011, the two sides have clashed 24 times, with CAPS United winning six, drawing 13, and losing five.
Makepekepe have also dominated on home turf, posting five of their six victories in Harare. FC Platinum, for their part, have been stronger at Mandava, registering four wins and suffering just one defeat there.
Chitembwe will take heart from the most recent meeting, a 1-0 CAPS United victory at Rufaro late last year.
But football is fickle.
Much has changed since then, and CAPS United’s erratic form, including a puzzling four-match losing streak this month, has thrown their campaign into disarray.
That disastrous run almost cost Chitembwe his job, sparking fan protests. Yet, instead of wielding the axe, the CAPS United hierarchy handed him and his technical team a lifeline, a two-match ultimatum.
Veteran midfielder Rodwell Chinyengetere kept that hope alive on Saturday with the solitary strike against Yadah.
Another victory tomorrow could complicate matters for CAPS United’s management, who had already opened talks with former club midfielder Ian Bakala.
The Zambian arrived last week, watched the Yadah match from the stands, and is expected to attend tomorrow’s clash as well.
“I will not comment on those issues for now because this could distract the team in their preparations for the midweek game. Let’s see what happens next. We need to be winning our games,” said CAPS United president Farai Jere.
CAPS United find themselves fourth from the bottom with a meagre seven points from eight matches, a grim statistic for a team of their stature.
Ironically, FC Platinum’s unbeaten run is also underwhelming. They have drawn seven of their eight matches and are fast becoming the league’s “draw specialists”.
Just like CAPS United, they desperately need a win to ease growing tensions within their camp. The platinum miners were frustrated again at the weekend after being held 1-1 by bottom side Triangle at Mandava.
Meanwhile, Dynamos, another traditional giant in distress, face a tricky trip to GreenFuel.
DeMbare are win-less in their last four outings, with fans growing increasingly impatient.
They failed to breach a financially crippled Kwekwe United side in their last match, drawing a fourth straight blank in front of goal. Before that, they lost three consecutive games 0-1.
Still, DeMbare coach Lloyd “Mablanyo” Chigowe remains defiant.
“If you see a team that goes for three consecutive games without getting a win come back home here and give a heavy fight, like I said, give them time to settle.
Team building is normally a process, not an event. I think the performance vindicates what I’m saying. It’s unfortunate we failed to get the goal that mattered,” he said after the stalemate.
But is there hope in front of goal for a team with only two goals to their name from eight matches?
Chigowe believes the drought is psychological.
“It’s a question of confidence. Once these boys hit the nets, I think one of these days they’ll tear one other team apart.”
Yet a large section of DeMbare’s fan base is growing restless.
Some are calling for Chigowe’s dismissal, while others believe the rot runs deeper than the coach.
Chigowe is realistic about the situation.
“I accept whatever outcome because that is the nature of the job. You cannot go on and say you deserve to continue when the results are not coming.
That’s part of the job. Well, to cut a long story short, the buck stops with the coach,” he said.
It was a frugal weekend across the league, with just 10 goals scored, one of the lowest returns this season.
By contrast, Week Six produced 21 goals.
Only two teams managed to collect maximum points: CAPS United and Herentals, who edged GreenFuel 1-0 on Friday.
Herentals will now face newboys Scottland tomorrow.
Fixtures:
Tomorrow: Chicken Inn v TelOne (Luveve), Kwekwe Utd v Simba Bhora (Bata), GreenFuel v Dynamos (GreenFuel Arena), Triangle v ZPC Kariba (Gibbo), CAPS Utd v FC Platinum (Rufaro), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Yadah (Baobab), Highlanders v Bikita Minerals (Barbourfields)
Thursday: Scottland v Herentals (Rufaro), MWOS v Manica Diamonds (Ngoni)
Online Reporter