daniel chigunwe
Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
NGEZI Platinum Stars are set to be officially crowned champions of the 2023 Castle Lager Premiership after their final game of the season this Sunday against giants Highlanders at Barbourfields.
A journey that began on March 18 in Bulawayo with a lukewarm 1-1 draw with Bulawayo Chiefs at Luveve, interestingly comes full circle in the City of Kings.
And whatever the result against Bosso, Ngezi Platinum Stars are assured of celebrations. They have since confirmed their status as the new champions after dominating the marathon and clinching the title with two games to spare.
The man credited with the transformation of the club is head coach Takesure Chiragwi who was confirmed as substantive head coach in November last year, after Ngezi Platinum Stars had tried without success to win the championship in five seasons of Premiership football.
Before Chiragwi’s arrival, the finest achievement for Ngezi Platinum Stars was a second place finish in the 2018 season when they raked up 65 points. But they were still a considerable distance from eventual winner FC Platinum who finished with 78 points.
Chiragwi’s men have since surpassed their previous best after taking their tally to 66 points last week following the 3-1 thrashing of relegated side Cranborne Bullets at Baobab.
They could still add to their new record if they collect more points against ailing Bosso, who have one win in their last 10 league games.
The platinum miners were given a guard of honour in their last game against Cranborne Bullets at Baobab and it’s unfortunate they will receive their biggest honour in domestic football this Sunday away in Bulawayo, almost 400km away from their beloved fans who stood solidly with them since 2016 when they got promoted.
The team’s management and the players had wanted to be crowned at home. But it was not possible to do so in their penultimate round fixture against Cranborne Bullets last weekend because of the competition rules set by the PSL office.
Ngezi Platinum Stars are currently nine points clear of second-placed Dynamos, going into the final round of matches.
DeMbare and Manica Diamonds are the two teams in the battle for second place. They are both on 57 points, while dethroned four-time champions FC Platinum are fourth on the log standings with 54 points.
Highlanders are also on 52 points and will be pushing for a top four place when they meet Ngezi Platinum Stars, who they beat 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Baobab.
But it is more interesting at the basement side of the table where five teams — ZPC Kariba, Yadah, Triangle, Black Rhinos and Sheasham — are uncertain of what the future holds, going into the final round of matches set for this coming weekend.
Three teams from the quintet will have to be relegated on the last day, to join Cranborne Bullets. The survival fixtures have all been pencilled for Saturday.
Fixtures:
Saturday: Bulawayo Chiefs v Manica Diamonds (Luveve), GreenFuel v Triangle (GreenFuel), Yadah v Dynamos (NSS), Sheasham v FC Platinum (Bata), Cranborne v ZPC Kariba (Mandava), Simba Bhora v Black Rhinos (Baobab)
Sunday: CAPS Utd v Herentals (NSS), Hwange v Chicken Inn (Colliery), Highlanders v Ngezi Platinum (Barbourfields)
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