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Augustine Hwata Sports Reporter
SHABANIE Mine coach Luke Masomere has challenged his players to wake up from the hangover of being crowned BancABC Sup8r champions and try to start getting positive results when they meet title chasing Harare City in a Castle Lager Premiership tie at Rufaro tomorrow.
The asbestos miners wrote their own piece of history when they became the first side outside the capital city to win the BancABC Sup8r Cup after edging FC Platinum in an all Zvishavane derby final at Mandava last month.
A lot more was expected from Shabanie Mine when they met Chicken Inn in the Mbada Diamonds Cup first round at the same venue where they won the BancABC Cup but came unstuck against the Bulawayo side on Saturday.
Goals from Clement Matawu, Cannan Nkomo and Kuda Mahachi gave the Gamecocks a safe passage into the quarter-final at the expense of the highly fancied Shabanie.
Yesterday Masomere said their mixed fortunes in the knockout competitions was now a thing of the past and they have to focus on the match against Harare City who beat them 3-1 in the reverse fixture at Maglas.
Harare City are second on the log lie two points behind pacesetters Dynamos who have 41 points.
“Its very normal in football for a team to win some matches and then lose others. I think we did not carry the right approach when we played Chicken Inn.
“Chicken Inn caught us still counting our money (from the BancABC Sup8r) while we were on the pitch,” said Masomere.
Masomere’s Shabanie have struggled for consistency this season although the side had been able to brew some surprise results in some of their matches.
“How could one expect a win when we are counting money on the pitch. But I think Chicken Inn taught us a very good lesson.
“Now we have to go and get a positive result in Harare,” said Masomere.
Chicken Inn will be at Motor Action Sports Club where they face relegation haunted Mighty Bulls who need all they points .
Motor Action gave their best against CAPS United in the Mbada Diamonds Cup before bowing out after a penalty shootout and now their caretaker coach Prince Matore will be hoping that his youthful brigade will pick up from where they left at Sakubva.
At the National Sports Stadium, CAPS United will be squaring off against their former coach Gishon Ntini who is still smarting from a 3-2 defeat against Bosso in the Mbada Diamonds Cup.
Ntini’s Triangle lost 1-0 at Gibbo in the reverse fixture and now he hopes he has a point to prove against his former employers.
League champions Dynamos are expected to fly to Victoria Falls before completing the final leg of their journey to Hwange by road for a tricky assignment against Chipangano at the Colliery tomorrow.
Hwange are more than ready to meet the league champions after the coal miners edged FC Platinum 1-0 in the Mbada Diamonds Cup first round.
The championship race is now getting hectic as the Castle Lager Premiership have also lined up matches for this weekend with Dynamos meeting Monoz at Rufaro while CAPS United play Shabanie at Maglas.
Fixtures:
Week 22
Tomorrow: Harare City v Shabanie (Rufaro), Motor Action v Chicken Inn (Motor Action Sports), Buffaloes v How Mine (Sakubva), CAPS United v Triangle (National Sports Stadium), Hwange v Dynamos (Colliery), Highlanders v FC Platinum (Barbourfields)
Thursday: Monomotapa v Tripple B (Gwanzura)
Week 23: Saturday 5, Oct
Chicken Inn v Harare City (Luveve), Black Mambas v Motor Action (Morris Depot)
Sunday: Shabanie Mine v CAPS United (Maglas), How Mine v Black Rhinos (Luveve), Buffaloes v Highlanders (Sakubva) , Triangle v Hwange (Gibbo), Dynamos v Monomotapa (Rufaro), Tripple B v F. C Platinum (Dulibadzimu)
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