Online Reporter
Onward Gangata, [email protected]
SAUL Chaminuka may have bought himself more time at TelOne with a win against Caps United last Sunday but in truth, he is a dead man walking.
The Wifi Boys have looked far from convincing that they belong in the elite division throughout this season.
They find themselves deep in the relegation waters, with 20 points from 25 matches and four points from safety.
Chaminuka, a veteran gaffer, who replaced Herbert Maruwa at the helm of the Gweru side in May, has only managed to garner 14 points in 15 matches.
That report card has raised questions about his ability to save the ship from sinking.
Sunday’s win against Makepekepe brought some relief to the former Warriors assistant coach.
Reports suggest he has been given a two-match ultimatum starting with the Caps game, which makes the encounter against Herentals decisive.
It is not just a fight for three points; it is a fight to save the team and to save jobs, redemption for the seasoned tactician.
Those who wield power at the club believe that the team still has a chance to survive, only if they start winning.
TelOne needs six victories to reach the magical 38 points, which have been enough to survive relegation in the past seasons.
However, in 2019, the Gweru side managed to get 40 points and still got relegated.
There have been rumours swirling of Joel Luphahla retracing his foot steps back to the club.
Luphahla was recently sacked by former champions, FC Platinum after a string of poor results.
However, any changes to be made depends on how TelOne navigates their way past the Students.
Herentals have already done TelOne a favour defeating TelOne’s nemesis in the relegation fight.
The Harare side beat Manica Diamonds and FC Hunters by identical 1-0 score lines in their last two matches.
Chaminuka is confident the Wifi Boys can build on their win against Caps United and get the better of Herentals.
“I’m hoping that the win against Caps United brings more confidence to the boys going forward,” he said.
“We go away this weekend and I am hoping that for once we can be consistent to win one game and then win the next.
“Should things turn out that way, we can then now start talking about the big possibility of surviving relegation.”
