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Ricky Zililo Sports Reporter
DESPITE suffering a nerve wrecking defeat to long-time rivals Dynamos in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday, Highlanders believe that it’s too early to count them out of the championship race. The Harare giants continued with their dominance over their Bulawayo counterparts with Ocean Mushure scoring at the death of the game from the penalty spot.
Highlanders have gone for seven years without beating Dynamos in a league match with the last time being in 2006, the year Bosso last won the championship.
Since then, Dynamos have gone on to win the title three times in 2007, 2011 and last season.
After their weekend win over Highlanders, DeMbare appear to be back on track of winning their third consecutive championship as they are joint Premiership leaders with Harare City who have an inferior goal difference to the defending champions.
There are still four rounds of matches left before the curtain comes down on the domestic season and all the teams know that there is everything to play for both in the championship and relegation battles.
Highlanders’ assistant coach Bekithemba Ndlovu, who is leading his team’s preparations for their next away match to Motor Action in the absence of Kelvin Kaindu who is in England attending a Uefa B Licence coaching course, believes the championship race is wide open.
Ndlovu, a championship winner whose club is a point behind Dynamos, said “anything can happen” in the last four games.
“In as far as the championship competition is concerned there is no clear favourite. A lot can change with each passing week because all the title chasing teams along the way face opponents who are either not safe from relegation or those that are playing for pride like Motor Action.
“Look at us, last week we were on top of the log and now we are third trailing the log leaders by a point and we are not losing sleep over that. We are going to take each game as it comes and avoid thinking about other teams’ results. We might not be in control of our championship drive but we certainly cannot be ruled out,” said Ndlovu.
Highlanders’ last four games are tricky and Ndlovu is aware that Motor Action would want to go down having given them the last kicks of a dying horse on their way to Division One soccer.
Bosso should be wary of the youthful Motor Action squad that signed a number of players from Aces Youth Academy to be able to fulfil their league matches after a player exodus during the mid-season transfer window.
The Mighty Bulls became the first club that beat Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium this season in Week Three of the league race, winning 1-0.
Ndlovu said they have to pick themselves up from their defeat to Dynamos and focus on their last four matches.
After their trip to Motor Action, Highlanders will then play in a Mbada Diamonds Cup semi-final against their Week 29 opponents Harare City at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane before resuming league action by hosting tricky Triangle at Emagumeni. The Bulawayo giants beat Triangle 2-1 in the first leg and also knocked out the Gishon Ntini coached club from the Mbada Diamonds Cup. For their next two league matches, Highlanders will have to do without seasoned striker Njabulo Ncube who had just picked up form in the past weeks, scoring crucial goals and creating others for his teammates.
“The unavailability of Tshiki (Ncube) will certainly be a blow but we believe that we have able replacements who can also do the job. I cannot say we will not miss his services because his experience counts a lot but this is a chance for the other guys in our team to rise up to the occasion and score goals for the team.
“What we only need is to make sure that we work on our finishing because that is where our shortfall is because we create chances and even against Dynamos we were all over them, had two or three clear cut scoring opportunities but we missed,” Ndlovu said.
Some of the strikers that Highlanders will have to rely on for their league games are Gabriel Nyoni, Master Masitara who joined the club during the mid-season window, Beavan Chikaka, rookies Mgcini Sibanda and Bobby Nkomo.
Ncube will only be available for Highlanders’ last two matches of the season against Harare City on Week 29 and Shabanie Mine.
Against the four teams that they will meet, Bosso picked nine out of a possible 12 points.
Dynamos who picked just four points from their last four opponents in the first half – Triangle (0-0), Shabanie Mine, Chicken Inn and Black Mambas all identical 1-1 draws can overturn the first half results and cruise past the four clubs.
Of late, Dynamos appeared to be losing form but the die-hard attitude and the mental strength of their players are key to their success.
It is difficult to beat Dynamos at this stage of the season, especially if they are moving towards the championship. It is this piece of history that may be enough to scare their opponents.
DeMbare will be without defensive pillar Patson Jaure in their next two league matches against Triangle at Gibbo and home to Shabanie Mine only returning for the Chicken Inn away match. The defending champions end the season against relegation threatened Black Mambas.
Just like Highlanders’ Ndlovu, Dynamos’ gaffer Callisto Pasuwa said they would be taking each match as it comes.
“Of course we want to defend our title but we do not want to fool ourselves by looking far beyond the next games when what is important is picking maximum points in the coming match. It is unity of purpose and the desire to win that will carry us through,” said Pasuwa.
Second placed Harare City travel to Rimuka in Kadoma in their next league encounter to face Black Rhinos who have been hard to beat at home.
Bigboy Mawiwi’s side will have to be at their best to crack Black Rhinos who are sitting on the knife edge as a loss for the latter will add on their relegation woes. Black Rhinos are on position 13.
After Black Rhinos, the Sunshine City boys will play two successive home games against relegated Motor Action and championship chasing Highlanders before wrapping up their campaign with an away match to Caps United.
Harare City have a number of experienced players capable of withstanding the championship heat in the form of goalkeeper Maxwell Nyamupanedengu, seasoned defender David Kutyauripo, defensive midfielder James Jam, national team midfielder Silas Songani, Osbourne Mukuradare and skipper Godfrey Nguwodzawo.
The championship’s dark horses are no doubt FC Platinum who are fourth on the log with 42 points. Lloyd “Samaita” Mutasa’s men edged Shabanie Mine 1-0 in a Zvishavane derby on Saturday and will want to continue with their new found form in their last four matches. FC Platinum are waiting for just any slight slip ups by the top three teams so that they can move up the ladder.
This weekend they will be in Bulawayo to take on Chicken Inn who are under new coach Joey Antipas, before playing host to Black Mambas who are swimming in the murky relegation waters and then travel to the Colliery for a date with Hwange.
The platinum miners will end the season with a home game against Buffaloes.
Week 27 fixtures
Saturday, 2 November: How Mine v Hwange (Luveve), Black Mambas v Monomotapa (Morris Depot), Shabanie Mine v Tripple B (Maglas)
Sunday, 3 November: Triangle United v Dynamos (Gibbo), Chicken Inn v FC Platinum (Luveve), Black Rhinos v Harare City (Rimuka), Motor Action v Highlanders (Rufaro), Buffaloes v Caps United (Sakubva).
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