Major blow for ZPC Hwange
ZPC Hwange’s slim Southern Region Division One League championship hopes suffered a major blow when relegation threatened Amagagasi swept them away with a shock 1-0 win in Victoria Falls on Sunday.
The power generators went into the weekend hoping to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches against second from the bottom side Amagagasi, but a Darlington Tshabalala strike sank ZPC Hwange.
While Amagagasi celebrated their hard fought victory, which moved them from position 13 to 12 on the league table with 15 points, ZPC Hwange’s championship aspirations went up in smoke as they now trail leaders Bulawayo Chiefs by nine points.
Chiefs, who beat Mosi Rovers 1-0 courtesy of a Makhosi Ncube strike in the early game at Victoria Falls on Sunday, took their points tally to 50, maintaining their 18-match unbeaten run since the season started. The table-toppers have two games in hand over ZPC Hwange, who have played 20 matches.
ZPC Hwange coach Njabulo Dube conceded that the title chase was no longer in their hands, but refused to throw in the towel.
“It’s unfortunate that we are not where we want to be (at the top), but what is important is for us to keep pushing and take the title race to the wire. We just have to keep on working hard,” said Dube.
Chiefs now need just 10 points from their remaining eight games to secure the title and a Premiership ticket. ZPC Hwange can end the season with 59 points if they win all their remaining matches, meaning Chiefs may be crowned champions with four league matches left.
Chiefs’ next game is away to Indlovu Iyanyathela, followed by a home game against Makomo, then away to Black Boots.
ZPC Hwange will be on a bye next weekend before resuming their campaign with a tricky away fixture against Casmyn.
Thulani Sibanda, the Chiefs coach said: “We’re in firm control of our destiny and the attitude of the players has been amazing. We’re pulling in one direction and challenging ourselves with every encounter. To be honest, Mosi Rovers were a tough nut to crack and gave us a good run for our money. We just had to maintain our composure and see to it that we fight for maximum points. Right now there’s no room for error and we want to win the title as early as possible.”
Meanwhile, Black Boots were awarded three points on a 3-0 scoreline for the walkover of Victoria Falls Tigers.