WITH relegation staring at Bantu Rovers with 13 matches to end the season, head coach Methembe Ndlovu (pictured) still believes positive results will come their way as they entertain FC Platinum in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Luveve Stadium this afternoon. SPORTS REPORTER
The match is at 1pm to be followed by the How Mine-Triangle clash at 3pm at the same venue.
Ndlovu yesterday said the 17 matches they had played so far in the league had brought enough experience to his boys and he hoped to start grinding the results and steer away from relegation.
“I think we now have a lot of experience for the 17 matches that we have played and we hope to start getting the results,” Ndlovu said.
Bantu Rovers play an exciting brand of passing football with a number of youngsters in their squad, but the results have not been coming and they are second from the bottom of the log standings with 10 defeats, four wins and have drawn three times. Basically, they need 20 points from 39 available to survive relegation.
Tafadzwa Kutinyu, Bukhosi Sibanda, Moses Majika, Emberton Tshuma, Teenage Hadebe and Dalubuhle Moraka are some of the youthful players at Tshintsha Guluva that also have experienced Johannes Ngodzo, Sizalobuhle Dube, Obadiah Tarumbwa and Fortune Ncube. Hebert Dick and Zephaniah Ngodzo are suspended.
They take on FC Platinum, who are on position six on the table with 24 points from 17 games. Platinum beat Bantu at Mandava Stadium in the first half of the season and have played two goalless draws against Shabanie Mine and Chapungu in their last matches. Platinum head coach Lloyd Mutasa will see the return of Raphael Muduviwa and Simon Shoko from suspension.
How Mine are also hoping to pick from where they left off on Sunday when they held Highlanders to a goalless draw at Barbourfields after going through a bad spell that had seen them drop to position eight — having been at the top of the log-standings at some stage.
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Coach Philani Ncube said the draw against Highlanders was a good sign of better things to come and he was hoping that Kuda Musharu would find his scoring boots.
They will also bank on Caleb Masocha, who joined them in mid-season.
Meanwhile, Chicken Inn, still smarting from the defeat against Harare giants Caps United will be without two of their best players when they face champions Dynamos in a must-win match at Gwanzura Stadium this afternoon.
The GameCocks are coming from a 0-1 defeat to Caps United at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday with Kelvin Bulaji inflicting the damage with his solitary strike before he was pulled off after picking up a knock.
It was their seventh defeat of the campaign and the third straight loss which could plunge them into an irretrievable nosedive. That has put coach Joey Antipas under pressure with the team’s executive demanding a change.
Fixtures Today: Dynamos v Chicken Inn (Gwanzura), Chapungu v Buffaloes (Ascot), How Mine v Triangle United (Luveve Stadium 3pm), Chiredzi v ZPC Kariba (Chishamiso Stadium), Shabanie Mine v Harare City (Maglas Stadium), Black Rhinos v Highlanders (Rimuka Stadium), Bantu Rovers v FC Platinum (Luveve Stadium 1pm)
Tomorrow: Hwange v Caps United (Colliery Stadium)
