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MANICALAND-BASED teams in the Castle Lager Premiership Buffaloes and Dongo Sawmills will host Harare City and CAPS United respectively in this weekend’s round of league matches.The Mutare army side, which has won only a single match out of the 10 they have played so far this season, will play host to expensively-assembled Harare City at Sakubva tomorrow (Saturday), while winless Dongo Sawmills take to their adopted home ground of Vengere in Rusape where they will entertain inconsistent CAPS United on Sunday.
With their depleted technical department comprising coach Joseph ‘Shaba’ Takaringofa and his assistant Peter Masibera, Buffaloes will be hoping to snatch maximum points and steer their ship to safety as the season teeters towards the halfway mark.
Takaringofa has not won a single match at home and the only match they won was against equally struggling Dongo Sawmills at Vengere recently.
“We are all aware that we have to start winning our home matches if we entertain hopes of surviving relegation. It is sad that we have failed to get maximum point on numerous occasions, yet we are playing good football.
“I just hope and pray that we will come clean on Saturday and get the goals that we desperately need. I know Harare City are no easy opponents, but we believe in our capabilities and come Saturday we expect to be celebrating after the final whistle,” said Takaringofa on the sidelines of his team’s training session at Mutare Showgrounds on Tuesday.
Buffaloes are still hunting for a substantive coach to replace Moses Chunga and club spokesperson Gladmam Chimonyo confirmed that they are working flat out to get a credible candidate for the job.
“We are aware of the fact that we need an experienced coach who can help the guys in our technical department.
“We have been and are still working on it, but it is just unfortunate that time is not on our side,” he said.
While Takaringofa cannot be said to be a hopeless coach, his substitution criterion has raised more questions than answers, especially when he frequently pulls out exciting Roy ‘Apama’ Mwenga for the ineffective Vincent Makaha.
Meanwhile, Dongo Sawmills will be out in search of their first Premiership win, something that has eluded the Nyanga side in the first 10 matches of the season.
The team, however, did well to hold Thsolotsho away from home in last weekend’s match, but remain at the basement of the 16-team league log standings.
Fixtures:
Saturday: Chapungu FC v Flame Lily FC (Ascot); ZPC Kariba FC v FC Platinum (Nyamhunga); Buffaloes FC v Harare City FC (Sakubva); Hwange FC v Chicken Inn FC (Colliery):
Sunday: Highlanders FC v Whawha FC (Barbourfields); Triangle United FC v How Mine FC (Gibbo); Dongo Sawmill FC v Caps United FC (Vengere);
Monday: Dynamos FC v Tsholotsho FC (Rufaro Stadium).
Online Reporter