Tshintsha Guluva surrender top spot

The former Premiership club are now two points behind How Mine who have amassed 29 points from 12 outings.

Had Tshintsha Guluva won in the coalmining town, they could be a point above new leaders, How Mine, who beat Ntabazinduna Prison 1-0 at home.

Just as the race for the Premiership is heating up, things are also shaping up at the bottom with four teams already fighting relegation.

Ex-Premiership club Zimbabwe Saints who are finding the going tough in the unfashionable Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League, Emakhandeni Pirates, Rufaro Rovers and Projects FC are already relegation favourites.

Five teams will be axed at the end of the season to pave way for four clubs from the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan and Matabeleland North Division Two Soccer Leagues.

Bulawayo Chiefs, who are on position 13 with 12 points from 11 games are in the murky relegation waters with Sizani Fruits and Veg not safe either. In the event that a Premiership team from the Southern Region is relegated, the sixth team from the bottom will be chopped.

In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe Saints chairman Gibson Homela said Chikwata would beef their squad during the second half of the season.

There is great danger that if relegated to the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Division Two, Chikwata will struggle to survive and that might be the end of the once great club. No player at Zimbabwe Saints has a contract with the club.

“Most of the players that we have do not have contracts with us and they are yet to justify to the coach that they deserve a contract.

“We will definitely recruit to beef up the squad in the second half,” said Homela.

While Chikwata are struggling, another former Premiership side Railstars kept their title hopes alive as they beat ZPC Hwange 1-0 at Chakona Stadium in Hwange’s Ingagula suburb to take their points tally to 22.

Njanji, fourth on the log, are tied on 22 points with third-placed ZPC Hwange who have a superior goal difference.

Results

Saturday: Projects 0, New West 2; Hwange Juniors 3, Mpumalanga 1; Tsholotsho Pirates 2, Black Boots 2; Rufaro 1, Sizani Fruits and Veg 1; How Mine 1, Ntabazinduna 0; Zimbabwe Saints 0, Bulawayo Chiefs 1; ZPC Hwange 0, Railstars 1

Sunday: Power Cosmos 1, Bantu Rovers 0

Log

P W D L F A Pts

How Mine 12 9 2 1 21 9 29

Bantu Rovers 12 9 0 3 24 10 27

ZPC Hwange 11 7 1 3 17 4 22

Railstars 11 7 1 3 16 8 22

New West City 11 5 3 3 20 15 18

Tsholotsho

Pirates 11 4 5 2 14 8 17

Ntabazinduna 12 5 2 5 16 15 17

Black Boots 12 5 1 6 18 18 16