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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
HARARE giants Dynamos know they have plenty of ground to cover to stay in the reckoning for the Castle Lager Premiership title as they bring the curtain down on the first half of the season with a ‘home’ game against Yadah at Barbourfields tomorrow.
Fellow giants Highlanders are set to end the half on top of the table no matter the result of their top-of-the-table clash with Ngezi Platinum Stars at Baobab tomorrow.
Highlanders lead the race with a four-point cushion over second-placed Ngezi Platinum Stars, while champions FC Platinum, who feature in a Midlands Derby with new boys Sheasham at Mandava this afternoon are eight points off the pace.
CAPS United are exactly 10 points behind the log leaders despite being awarded three points for their abandoned match against Sheasham on a 3-0 scoreline by the PSL Disciplinary Committee this week. They play Herentals at Mandava tomorrow.
But Bosso will be delighted more with the fact bitter rivals Dynamos, in fifth place, are nine points adrift at this stage of the campaign.
Highlanders have had one of their best starts in years after going 16 games unbeaten. But their Portuguese coach Baltemar Brito does not want his charges to be distracted as they head for Mhondoro-Ngezi this afternoon.
“The boys have been serious this week to prepare for the match. We know that it’s a tough game against the second team in the league. They are also preparing to play a good game, so we expect a good performance from both teams,” said Brito.
“We want to improve the performance of the last season when we finished fifth. No one at the beginning of the season put us as contenders of being champions. So, we have no pressure, we are just enjoying this moment,” said Brito.
Highlanders head to Ngezi on the back of a brilliant run that has seen them winning their last five games in succession. Bosso have been brilliant, especially in defence. The team has conceded only four goals in 16 outings, which translate to one goal in every four games.
Goalkeeper and captain Ariel Sibanda who has commanded his defence well and has kept 12 clean sheets this season.
Brito, however, credits the performance to the whole team, including Sibanda’s assistant goalkeepers Raphael Pitisi and Reward Muza who push the veteran to produce his best.
“Football is a collective game and of course the individual performances are important. Ariel is doing well. He is doing well because he has these two boys (Pitisi and Muza) to bring competition.
“That is the dynamics of the game, but we can split in departments, so we analyse it as a team, and everyone is faring well. Even when we start building, we start from the back and sometimes the goalkeeper is involved. So, it’s teamwork. Of course, the individual performances are important in teamwork,” said Brito.
Highlanders last won the league title in 2006 under the guidance of Methembe Ndlovu and their closest to the title after that was under Zambian gaffer Kelvin Kaindu, who went on a 23-match unbeaten run in 2012 only to be overpowered by Dynamos at the end of the season.
DeMbare coach Hebert Maruwa believes it’s still game on despite falling nine points behind.
“We still have 18 games to play, and we are separated by just nine points with Highlanders, so we are still in it.
“Highlanders are going to play more games here in Harare in the second half of the season. So, there is an opportunity for us to close the gap. They (Highlanders) are doing well so far but the title race is still wide open,” said Maruwa.
DeMbare have been blowing hot and cold this season. They are coming from a shock 0-1 defeat to Premiership new boys GreenFuel who stunned them at Gibbo last week.
“The defeat against GreenFuel last week is now water under the bridge. We have managed to regroup as a team, we are in a good shape. We are ready to play Yadah in Bulawayo. We need to go there and make sure we collect maximum points.
“The boys are ready for Yadah; we have to make sure that we return to winning ways. I’m sure we will go into the weekend’s game knowing that we need to collect points if we are to remain in the title race.
“And I’m very optimistic that with the preparations that we have been making, we have the chance to go out there and fight for maximum points,” said Maruwa.
Fixtures:
Today: Chicken Inn v Hwange (Luveve), Manica Diamonds v Bulawayo Chiefs (Gibbo), ZPC Kariba v Cranborne Bullets (Nyamhunga), FC Platinum v Sheasham (Mandava)
Tomorrow: Ngezi Platinum Stars v Highlanders (Baobab), Black Rhinos v Simba Bhora (Bata), Dynamos v Yadah (Barbourfields), Triangle v GreenFuel (Gibbo), Herentals v CAPS Utd (Mandava)
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