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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
CHAMPIONS FC Platinum have sent a bold statement to their rivals in the title race that they are going to be difficult to stop after stretching their unbeaten run in the Castle Lager Premiership to 10 games.
The three-time champions are flying high, and have broken eight points clear of the chasing pack, following the latest 2-0 win over Harare City at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday.
They have been getting the results home and away and they appear the only team that has managed to remain consistent in the last few weeks.
The platinum miners have stabilised after going through a period of integrating new and younger players into the outfit, under their renewal project.
What is even remarkable about the run is that they have not conceded a goal while scoring 19 times against their opponents.
Impressive young forward Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya was on target, grabbing his eighth of the season in the first minute of the game against Harare City.
Veteran midfielder Innocent Mucheneka was also on the score-sheet. FC Platinum have been dominant although their coach Norman Mapeza is not keen to comment on the log standings and the implications in the title race at this stage.
“We keep pushing, it’s all about hard work. We have to manage everything we do. What’s important is organisation. If we can’t score, then they (opponents) don’t have to score,” he said after the Harare City win.
FC Platinum’s 10-match unbeaten run is the longest by any club in the current season. The platinum miners lead the race with 50 points, with closest rivals Dynamos and Chicken Inn tied on 42.
There are still 11 games to play, though. Chicken Inn continued with their inconsistent outings and were held to a goalless draw by ZPC Kariba at Nyamhunga.
Joey Antipas’ men dropped four points in the last two games, having previously lost to Dynamos. They swapped places on the log standings, with Dynamos moving into second place on superior goal difference, following their 2-0 win over Bulawayo Chiefs on Sunday.
However, Antipas has vowed to continue fighting.
“You never know with football,” he said.
“Remember we were flying high, but we hit a bad patch, and the team flying high today can also do the same. There are still many games to play before the championship is decided.”
Dynamos made it two wins in their last two games to revive their hopes in the championship race. They brushed aside Bulawayo Chiefs at the National Sports Stadium courtesy of midfielder Trevor Mavhunga’s late first half header and Evans Katema’s added time penalty conversion.
“We continue to work on our faults and I’m glad that Evans scored the penalty after enduring a very difficult dry spell and then he opened his account,” said DeMbare coach in reference to Katema’s first goal in six months, since his return to the Glamour Boys.
“I’m happy about that and we continue to work especially in those areas and work with the forwards so that we become more clinical because there were so many chances which we failed to put away.
“But we will keep working. There’s nothing we can do but to put more hours in training so that they become more clinical.”
Just like his competitors, Tonderai Ndiraya believes the league is still a long way to go and Dynamos could still come back to fight for honours. DeMbare last won the title in 2014.
“I think it’s still game on. It’s not over yet,” he said.
“There are still many games to play so we will keep fighting. I hope we will keep on the same trajectory.
“We are going up and I hope we will continue to go up and then we will see what happens at the end of the season. But the race is still very much on.
“There are still some difficult games to come for all the teams. We will have to wait and see how we are all going to navigate that terrain but I’m happy that we are coming up again and hopefully we can keep fighting and get points as we go forward,” said Ndiraya.
The championship is also taking an interesting twist at the bottom where the three newly-promoted teams continued to struggle. Bottom team Whawha were beaten 2-1 at home by CAPS United. They anchor the log standings with 19 points.
Fellow Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services side Tenax fought to a gallant 0-0 draw with Highlanders away at Barbourfields. But that could not garner them enough points to move away second from bottom, with 21 points. Another basement side Bulawayo City lost 0-1 to Herentals while Harare City were dragged into the drop zone following the home defeat to FC Platinum.
Online Reporter