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MARK MATHE will be under the spotlight when he takes his CAPS United to Lafarge for a tricky Castle Lager Premiership tie against Flame Lily this afternoon.
The likeable coach has seen his Green Machine lose their last two matches; a league tie against Harare City and a dramatic penalty shootout loss to ZPC Kariba in the Chibuku Super Cup, when victory appeared certain.
CAPS United collapsed at the last minute, conceding a goal in the very final seconds, as ZPC Kariba forced a draw in regulation time and then easily won the penalty shootout to dump the former Cup Kings in the first round.
It’s a defeat that has hurt the CAPS United leadership and club owner, Farai Jere, told The Herald this week that the loss was unacceptable and challenged his technical team to either get the results the club demands or face the chop.
Mathe has been given a two-match ultimatum to deliver the victories that CAPS United believe can put their championship campaign back on track and, to his credit, the former Highlanders coach has been an oasis of calm despite concerns that his job could be on the line.
He has the support of most of his players, including veteran forward Leonard Tsipa, whom some fans believe should have been the fall guy for that loss after he was sent off, in a moment of madness, in the match against ZPC Kariba.
“We need to fight for the coaches, from the beginning we were together, and they were giving us guidance till this stage,” Tsipa told The Herald yesterday.
“So, for them to survive, we need to start winning matches and help them survive at the club.
“We are getting used to each other; the old players and the new players, and we are looking forward to winning matches.
“We badly need the three points so that we keep pressure on the teams that are on top, but we can only do that if we continue to get maximum points consistently.”
Mathe told our sister newspaper, H-Metro, that they were not treating Flame Lily, who beat high-flying Triangle in a league match at Lafarge, lightly.
“We are not taking any opponent lightly. Every team that plays against us is motivated,” said Mathe.
“I know we are a big team and we should justify our it by winning.
“It’s a very tricky tie and we don’t need to consider that they are fighting relegation.”
CAPS United have only scored 12 league goals; the worst return among the teams in the top half of the table, and only Tsholotsho (nine goals) , Whawha (nine goals and bottom club Dongo Sawmill (nine goals) have scored less goals in the campaign.
But the Green Machine have been strong at the back, conceding only 13 goals, and when one considers that three of those goals came in via the boardroom, after their league match against How Mine was abandoned, and four came in the turmoil that stalked them ahead of their trip to Triangle, it puts the Green Machine’s impressive performance in defence into perspective.
It means they have conceded only six goals, in the other 15 games; as impressive a return as any team can ever dream of.
But while their rearguard has been strong, only being spoiled occasionally by the foolish antics of skipper Hardlife Zvirekwi, whose decision to refuse to return for the second half against ZPC Kariba, after being accused by his teammates of being at fault in the goal scored by the visitors in the first half, was an insult to the club he leads.
Zvirekwi’s game has plummeted in the past few months and, for a man who was a regular in the national team, he should be asking himself some tough questions, as to why he has lost the golden touch that made him a favourite of his team’s fans, and why even his teammates are now turning against him.
Online Reporter