Battle for top spot heats up

Sport
THE fight to take the top position in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) continues this afternoon as competition gets stiffer towards the end of the first half of the season.

THE fight to take the top position in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) continues this afternoon as competition gets stiffer towards the end of the first half of the season.

FORTUNE MBELE Sports REPORTER

After losing their first game of the season last weekend to Dynamos, Highlanders with 21 points, will take on Black Rhinos at Barbourfields Stadium this afternoon with the hope of returning to winning ways after going three matches without picking up maximum points.

Highlanders last won in Mutare on May 25, when they beat Buffaloes 3-1 courtesy of Charles Sibanda, who currently is the Bulawayo giants’ main man.

As Bosso host Black Rhinos, Hwange, who lost their first game at home last week to Chicken Inn but remained at the helm with 22 points, will travel to Harare for resurgent Caps United who are not very far with 20 points on position six behind Hwange, How Mine, Dynamos, Highlanders and ZPC Kariba.

Caps United last week beat Chiredzi 2-0 at Chishamiso Stadium after having hammered Shabanie Mine 3-0 in the capital following an embarrassing 0-3 defeat to PSL returnées Chapungu United at Ascot Stadium.

Also in the picture is Caf Confederation Cup representatives How Mine, who have not lost a match after the first two defeats at the start of the season, which coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube attributed to the African Safari fatigue.

How Mine are on 22 points and will be in Chiredzi this afternoon against troubled Triangle United at Gibbo Stadium.

The top of the table coaches speak of the competition in the PSL this year ahead of their matches this afternoon.

Nation Dube – Hwange: “It has been very tight. With the way things are going, we can drop to position six or seven any time.

I think most of the teams have picked up well. The other thing is that the era of the Harare teams dominating in numbers is past and now they have to travel more often to play outside the capital.”

Dube says he would miss Erick Chipeta who left last week for Chippa United (Absa PSL) and Rodwell Chinyengetere on trials at Polokwane City, but would have to give their replacements the courage.

Philani Ncube – How Mine: “Competition is stiff, but this is good for football. What it means is that the clubs and coaches are really up to it. As for us small as we are, we are in the right direction. We are going to Triangle with the aim of getting three points, but there are three results in football.”

Kelvin Kaindu – Highlanders: “The competition has been good where we have four teams occupying the top position inter-changeably.

There is lack of consistency in all the teams. No team wins three games in a row and for every other game that you play there is always going to be a change and the change will be there to the end.”

Kaindu would not speak of the absence of Milton Ncube and Peter Moyo saying that was an administrative problem.

Taurai Mangwiro – Caps United: “What I have seen is that there hasn’t been a dominant team. We are still within reach with four defeats in 12 games.

“Teams have been dominant at home and not that good on the road. Players have been spread all over the country and I would say we are playing derbies week in week out. It’s no longer like in the past. As Caps United, we have struck the right chord at the right time. We are not going to underrate Hwange and hope to collect maximum points at home.”

Fixtures Today: Triangle United v How Mine (Gibbo 1pm SS9), Highlanders v Black Rhinos (Barbourfields), Buffaloes v Chapungu (Sakubva), Caps United v Hwange (NSS)