NOr-man has achieved more in 13 years

Fungai Muderere

AS the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League top four teams — CAPS United, Chicken Inn, FC Platinum and ZPC Kariba — are involved in a fierce fight for the 2019 domestic league’s top gong, the calculator has it that they will not better the 78-point mark that Pure Platinum Play reached in the previous season under Norman Mapeza.

Mapeza has since joined South Africa’s Absa Premiership side Chippa United and since 2006, a year when Highlanders last won the championship after amassing 65, there is no local PSL championship that has reached 78 points.

With nine games remaining before the conclusion of the 2019 programme, Caps United have favourably positioned themselves to land the title.

Teams standing in Caps United’s championship path are Hwange (home), Chicken Inn (away), Herentals (home), TelOne (away), ZPC Kariba (home), Yadah (away), the epic Harare derby against Dynamos at home, Ngezi Platinum Stars (away) and a final home tie against champions FC Platinum.

With 47 points and if they do happen to register wins in all their remaining fixtures, Makepekepe will finish their campaign with 70 points, eight shy of the record that Mapeza and his then Platinum boys set in the previous season.

Second-placed Chicken Inn who are five points behind Pure Platinum Play are left with tricky matches and will look to bounce back when they travel to Harare for a date with Black Rhinos in their next assignment, before playing host to Caps United.

Thereafter Gamecocks will be away to relegation-threatened Harare City who were beaten 3-1 last weekend, then play host to Caf Confederation Cup participants Triangle United, make a trip to Mushowani, be at home to Hwange, face Bulawayo Chiefs in a derby and wrap up their campaign with a home tie against TelOne.

If lady luck does smile on Joey Antipas’ men and they manage to collect maximum points in all these nine fixtures, they will finish the 2019 season on 65 points a figure 13 points less than last year’s champions.

Interestingly, FC Platinum, who are now under the guidance of Lizwe Sweswe, will not be able to break their own record as they are tied on 42 points with Gamecocks.

Winless in their last two games, the platinum miners play Yadah at home in their next league encounter, followed by a trip to Dynamos, before welcoming to Ngezi. They will travel to Manica Diamonds.

The other remaining matches for FC Platinum are Highlanders (home), Chapungu (away), Black Rhinos (home), Caps United (away) and Harare City (home).

Seated on position four with 41 points, the maximum number of points that ZPC Kariba can accumulate this year is 64, 14 less than what was achieved by FC Platinum’s Class of 2018. ZPC Kariba’s outstanding games are; Manica Diamonds (away), Highlanders (home), Chapungu (away), Black Rhinos (home), Caps United (away), Harare City (home), Triangle (away), Mushowani (home) and Hwange (away).

Two seasons ago, FC Platinum took the league championship to Zvishavane for the first time after attaining 70 points, six points ahead of the figure that CAPS United got when they claimed the 2016 title.

The 2015 league trophy went to Chicken Inn with a total of 61 points to their name a figure far less than what Mapeza managed to get when he guided the platinum train last year. FC Platinum and Chicken Inn are company-sponsored teams that were promoted at the same time and have shown stability.

That stability is seen also in ZPC Kariba.

However, the sharp increase in points amassed by last year’s eventual winners of the domestic league competition could be due to the fact that there are now more teams (18) in the league hence more matches that are played.

A few years has ago, the league used to have 16 participants.

Past PSL Champions in past 13 years

2006 Highlanders 65 points

2007 Dynamos 64 points

2008 Monomotapa 60 points

2009 Gunners 61 points

2010 Motor Action 66 points

2011 Dynamos 58 points

2012 Dynamos 69 points

2013 Dynamos 54 points

2014 Dynamos 57 points

2015 Chicken Inn 61 points