Shabanie Mine reclaims pole position

Lovemore Zigara in Gweru
SHABANIE Mine needed a penalty deep into stoppage time to edge a spirited Blanket Mine at Maglas Stadium and complete a double over the gold miners in a Zifa Central Soccer League encounter.

Striker Erea Phiri made no mistake from the penalty spot before a capacity crowd that was arguably the biggest to watch a CSL game this season.

The victory by the asbestos miners saw them dislodging Blanket Mine at the top of the league table. Shabanie Mine are now on 54 points, one ahead of Blanket Mine.

With five games to go, Shabanie Mine coach Tendai Chikuni said the key for his side is to maintain momentum and work on the psyche of his players so that they last the home straight.

“I am happy we managed to win this game. For us it was like a cup final because both teams had everything to play for. I want to salute the boys for not giving up until the final whistle and this is the stuff that champions are made of,” said Chikuni.

“What we want to work on going forward is the psychological side of things on the players because there is pressure which comes with us being on top of the log.”

Meanwhile, as part of efforts to curb hooliganism at their home matches, the Shabanie Mine executive has launched a campaign to stop violence and promote fair play.

The Shabanie Mine and Blanket Mine captains displayed a banner condemning all forms of violence just before their game on Sunday.

Results

ZPC Munyati 2 – 2 Kwekwe Sables, Jessie Mine 4 – 2 Chrome Stars, Tongogara 2 – 0 FC Platinum, ZRP Beitbridge 0 – 0 Vumbachikwe, Ivan Hoe 3 – 1 Whawha, ZRP Gwanda 0 – 1 MSU, Nichrut 3 – 0 Gweru United, Shabanie Mine 1 – 0 Blanket Mine

Table
P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    Pts
Shabanie Mine     25    17    3    5    29    10    19    54
Blanket Mine        25    16    5    4    35    14    21    53
Ivan Hoe                25     14    7    4    39    22    17    49
Tongogara             25    13    8    4    32    13    19    47
Whawha                24    12    7    5    22    18    4    43
MSU                       25    9    12    4    32    21    11    39
FC Platinum U     19    25    10    8    7    25    19    6    38
Nichrut                 25    10    7    8    34    24    10    37
Vumbachikwe     25    8    7    10    19    22    -3    31
Jessie Mine         25    9    4    12    25    32    -7    31
ZRP Beitbridge   25    9    3    13    31    38    -7    30
ZRP Gwanda       25    8    2    15    22    29     -7    26
ZPC Munyati      25    4    11    10    26    37    -11    23
Chrome Stars     25    5    7    10    21    33    -12    21
Kwekwe Sables   24    3    6    15    16    42    -26    15
Gweru United     25     2     3     20     13     47     -34      9

@lavuzigara1.