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HIGHLANDERS FC shot themselves in the foot a long time ago and Sunday’s 0-4 heavy defeat to Harare City did not come as a surprise for a team that has failed to maximise on home advantage. No doubt, their defeat to Harare City seriously affected their championship hopes as they surrendered top spot to the Sunshine City Boys and were relegated to third.
No championship contender loses by that kind of margin and kudos to Harare City for exposing Highlanders’ mediocrity.
A close analysis of Highlanders’ performance this season shows that Bosso do not deserve the title as they lost 17 points at their fortress, Barbourfields Stadium.
Bosso did not lose the championship on Sunday but lost it a while ago when they dropped points at home at will.
Ten of those 17 points were donated to Bulawayo teams, something Highlanders did not do during the days of Zimbabwe Saints, Railstars and AmaZulu.
Highlanders lost to How Mine home and away in Week 10 and Week 21, Chicken Inn 0-1 on Week 14 and drew with the Gamecocks on Week 17.
The Bulawayo giants suffered their first defeat of the season in Week Four at home to relegated Motor Action who beat them 1-0. They were not done, with Kelvin Kaindu’s men drawing 1-1 in Harare recently with the already relegated Motor Action.
The fact that Highlanders failed to beat their perennial rivals Caps United and Dynamos at home is testimony that they are not championship material as one has to beat the best to be considered the finest.
Caps United held Bosso to a 0-0 draw in Week 16 and on Week 26, defending champions Dynamos walked away with maximum points ensuring their seven-year dominance over Highlanders continued with a 1-0 win. In all these matches where Highlanders dropped points at home, their head coach Kaindu was around and even in some wins the team was just not convincing.
Before leaving for the UK last week, Kaindu said his charges lacked character and true to his sentiments they were humiliated by Harare City.
The Zambian expatriate and his team should take blame for failing to collect most points at home and enhance their chances of taking the title as they proved to be better travellers than Dynamos and Harare City.
The other points that Highlanders must be cursing themselves for dropping are those against relegated Motor Action who held them to a 1-1 draw and the 0-1 defeat on the road to Black Mambas.
Without taking anything away from Motor Action and Black Mambas, expectations are always high that clubs like Highlanders, Caps United and Dynamos being powerhouses, should easily roll past the so-called lightweights.
Maybe Highlanders may find consolation in that they managed to win six games out of Bulawayo that is against Black Rhinos (3-0), Hwange (1-0), Monomotapa (5-2), Tripple B (3-2), Triangle (2-1) and Shabanie Mine (2-0).
Bosso picked 21 points out of Bulawayo from a possible 36.
Callisto Pasuwa’s Dynamos took advantage of playing most of their games in Harare but were not good travellers.
From their possible 30 points for their out of the capital trips, Dynamos only managed to collect 10 from two victories against
Highlanders (1-0) and Tripple B (2-0) and their draws with Shabanie Mine, Triangle, Chicken Inn and Black Rhinos. They lost to Hwange, FC Platinum, Buffaloes and How Mine.
In their matches played in Harare, DeMbare only dropped 16 points.
But like what true champions are made of, Dynamos have collected four points from each of the two championship chasing teams Harare City and Highlanders.
Looking at the head to head scenario, Dynamos deserve the championship because for one to be a champion, they have to beat the best and the best in this case are Highlanders and Harare City.
On the other hand, Harare City, who are in their second Premiership season, have collected 11 points from their 10 out of Harare outings, getting 42 points from all their matches that they have played in the capital.
In the process, Bigboy Mawiwi and his boys have dropped 15 points in their home town.
This weekend, Harare City are away to Caps United who they beat 1-0 in the first leg and judging from their form, the City of Harare powered club might make history and win the Premiership in their second season.
Points dropped at home town
Harare City: Harare City 0, Motor Action 0; Harare City 1, Buffaloes 1; Harare City 1, Shabanie Mine 1; Harare City 1, Dynamos 3; Harare City 1, How Mine 1; Harare City 1, Black Rhinos 1; Dynamos 0, Harare City 0 (Total 15 points)
Dynamos: Dynamos 1, Shabanie Mine 1; Dynamos 0, Monomotapa 0; Dynamos 0, Harare City 0; Dynamos 0, FC Platinum 0; Dynamos 1, Highlanders 1; Dynamos 0, Triangle 0; Dynamos 0, Chicken Inn 0; Black Mambas 1, Dynamos 1 (Total 16 points)
Highlanders: Highlanders 0, Motor Action 1; Highlanders 1, How Mine 2; Highlanders 0, Chicken Inn 1; Highlanders 0, Caps United 0; Chicken Inn 1, Highlanders 1; How Mine 1, Highlanders 0; Highlanders 0, Dynamos 1 (Total 17 points)
Away from home town records
Harare City: Highlanders 2, Harare City 0; Chicken Inn 1, Harare City 1; Hwange 4, Harare City 1; How Mine 0, Harare City 1; Tripple B 0, Harare City 0; Shabanie Mine 1, Harare City 3; FC Platinum 1, Harare City 1; Triangle 2, Harare City 2; Buffaloes 1, Harare City 0; Black Rhinos 0, Harare City 0 (Collected 11 out of 30 points)
Dynamos: Shabanie Mine 1, Dynamos 1; Tripple B 0, Dynamos 2; Buffaloes 3, Dynamos 2; How Mine 1, Dynamos 0; Black Rhinos 0, Dynamos 0; Hwange 4, Dynamos 2; FC Platinum 2, Dynamos 0; Highlanders 0, Dynamos 1; Triangle 2, Dynamos 2, Chicken Inn 2, Dynamos 2 (Collected 10 out of 30 points)
Highlanders: Harare City 4, Highlanders 0; Motor Action 1, Highlanders 1; Black Rhinos 0, Highlanders 3; Buffaloes 1, Highlanders 1; Black Mambas 1, Highlanders 0; Caps United 2, Highlanders 0; Hwange 0, Highlanders 1; Monomotapa 2, Highlanders 5; FC Platinum 0, Highlanders 0; Tripple B 2, Highlanders 3; Triangle 1, Highlanders 2; Shabanie Mine 0, Highlanders 2 (Collected 21 out of 36 points)
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