Mawiwi says points will be dropped

Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
HARARE City coach, Bigboy Mawiwi, says points will be dropped in the remaining matches of the Castle Lager Premiership title race in what is an open race for the championship. The Sunshine City boys dropped points at home on Wednesday but Mawiwi isn’t losing sleep over that and believes there is still too much to play for to worry about that lost opportunity.

Harare City will meet leaders Highlanders at home in Week 29 of the race, in a huge game, and will then take on revitalised CAPS United in their last match of the season.

The Sunshine Boys have failed to capitalise on Dynamos’ woes as they have only managed five points from their last six games.
Mawiwi’s men last tasted victory on July 9 with a 2-0 win over FC Platinum.

“Of course we couldn’t get the result that we have wanted and it happens in football. It’s part of the game but it’s wide open at the top,” said Mawiwi.

“I have said it before and it still remains like that.
“So, we will continue aiming for maximum points. The bottom line is to take each game as it comes until the end of the season.”
Mawiwi and his men travel to How Mine on Sunday.

CAPS United have also thrust themselves into the race for their first championship in eight years and there is feeling within the Green Machine that, if they can keep their players happy, they could challenge for the big one.

They beat Chicken Inn, a team that many analysts feel plays the best football in the country, 2-1 at the National Sports Stadium to bounce back from that damaging loss at the hands of Shabanie when their camp was in turmoil.

“Overally, we needed the points and we are very well in the championship race,” said CAPS United assistant coach, Saul Chaminuka.
“We need to win on Saturday and confirm that.”

Champions Dynamos could hire a psychologist to try and help their players who have lost their way in the championship race.
Callisto Pasuwa’s men have lost two of their last three matches with the other ending in a disappointing draw with struggling former champions Monomotapa.

Team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday said it was sad that the Harare giants have plunged to low depths at a very crucial stage of the campaign.

Chihoro yesterday reckoned that it might be premature to say that the Glamour Boys, with six games and 18 points still to play for, were out of the race.

“It’s difficult to understand what has hit us. Everyone was just off form from the first whistle, in fact the whole team didn’t play well against FC Platinum.

“It was made difficult because we conceded early. When we tried to re-organise ourselves that’s when they were given a penalty for the second goal. It was difficult to imagine that this is Dynamos playing.

“Anyway, bad spells are common in football and I think we are going through one such period. We have experienced it before, if you can remember at the start of the season. It is coming back to haunt us again although at a very bad moment. It’s strange.

“Even the boys should be disturbed by it as well,” said Chihoro. Chihoro hinted that they might consider bringing in a psychologist to talk to their players up this weekend.

“Most of the guys in this team are young and can easily be affected by a bad spell. We lost considerable ground but the good thing is that the race is still on. We will need to sit down and talk with them and it will be good if we can find a professional to psyche them up.

“It now needs us to have a lion’s heart and we will have to fight to the end. There are still more games to play. I am confident and the coach is confident as well that we will rise from this. We only need one good win as quickly as possible to get these boys to believe in themselves again,” said Chihoro. But there are tricky ties ahead for the teams in the race with Dynamos and Highlanders set to clash next week in a crunch tie (Week 26) at Barbourfields.

Dynamos appear to have an awkward path in their remaining matches as they also have another away assignment to Triangle in the game that follows and then host Luke Masomere’s Shabanie Mine in Week 28.

DeMbare will then travel to Chicken Inn before rounding off the season against police side Black Mambas at Rufaro.