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Paul Mundandi Zvishavane Correspondent
Shabanie Mine 1-1 Chicken Inn
SHABANIE Mine maintained their unbeaten home record when they came from behind to salvage a point from Chicken Inn who dominated the match at Maglas Stadium yesterday.
A 22nd minute goal from Mkhokheli Dube had assured the visitors maximum points before Daniel Chakupe equalised in the 78th minute.
The visitors won a freekick in the Shabanie Mine half on the right and John Bernard curled in a beauty that Dube simply headed past Shabanie goalkeeper London Zulu.
The Shabanie defence must shoulder the blame for the goal as they showed no life and urgency following their industrial action.
Chicken Inn dominated the proceedings as they congested their midfield with Clemence Matawu, Thabani Goredema, Bhekimpilo Ncube and Brian Juru.
They were always first on the ball and full of energy and were dealt a major blow when Goredema was injured in the 39th minute.
The asbestos miners took charge of the proceedings in the second half after the substitution of Hardlife Mavundi and Carlos Messi who struggled with their game.
The decision by John Phiri to move Nelson Merson to the midfield also paid dividends as the hosts soon found the equaliser.
Shabanie Mine rightback Godknows Murwira exchanged passes with Douglas Sibanda and overlapped on the right before sending an inch perfect pass into the box that saw Chakupe unleashing a scorcher that the visitors goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze only managed to retrieve from the back of the nets.
Substitute Xolani Ncube could have scored his first goal for Shabanie Mine in the 67th minute. Murwira sent a corner kick from the right that eluded the Gamecocks goalkeeper and his defence and when it looked hard to miss than to score, the dreadlocked forward skied his effort.
Ashley Mukwena, Sibanda, Zvenyika Makonese, Smart Muchabaiwa, Chakupe and goalkeeper Zulu were the only players from the miners that showed urgency and the desire to win following their job action.
“It is my first time in history to play a match without training. We need to improve as an organisation on the way we run football. I was not so sure whether my players wanted to play or not and the truth is we did not deserve the draw,” said Phiri.
His counterpart was however happy with the result.
“It’s hard to pick a point at Maglas and we are therefore happy that we managed a draw.
Shabanie came back stronger in the last 30 minutes and also the injury to Thabani (Goredema) was a blow to us,” said Joey Antipas.
Teams
Shabanie Mine: L Zulu, G Murwira, N Meson, S Muchabaiwa, Z Makonese, D Sibanda, H Mavundi (W Ngonya 70th minute), Z Bizeki, C Messi (X Ncube 52nd minute), D Chakupe, A Mukwena
Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze, M Jackson, B Mbiriri, J Bernard, L Mhlanga, B Juru, T Goredema (C Kamhapa 39th minute), C Matawu (T Banda 81st minute), B Ncube (C Nkomo 65th minute), M Dube, T Chimenya
derick.khumalo