Hwange and FC Platinum resume their new-found rivalry when they cross swords in a potentially stormy Castle Larger Premier Soccer League match at the Colliery Stadium tomorrow.
For Hwange, it would be a grudge match to settle old scores against the platinum miners whom they would be meeting for the second time within four days after Thursday’s much-contested Independence Trophy semi-final match.
Hwange would be hoping the conundrum of Mandava Stadium will not return to haunt them after they fell down 3-1 in the midweek encounter, where they felt robbed after putting up a spirited performance. It was a match where Hwange coach Tennant Chilumba produced a moment of pure farçe when he was expelled from the bench by referee Happy Mabhena for straying outside his technical area in protest over Charles Sibanda’s opening goal which was a clear offside.
And now, the two teams have rechannelled their focus to the league campaign and tomorrow’s battlefield has shifted to the coal miners’ home turf.
Following their exit in Caf inter-club competitions, both clubs would be looking to continue with their winning start to the league campaign after posting victories in their opening matches where FC Platinum saw off Black Mambas 3-1 away, while Chipangano edged Quelaton 4-3 at home.
FC Platinum assistant coach Tendai Chikuni believes his team will triumph at the Colliery on the strength of being the more experienced team.
“Our guys have got a lot of experience and that is what is needed at this stage. It does not matter we will be playing Hwange again within a short period of time because Sunday’s game would be a new game altogether,” said Chikuni.
Platinum go into battle knowing the Colliery is a fertile hunting ground for them after they dispatched Hwange 1-0 in a league match last year in June, before finishing the coal miners 2-0 in the return leg at Mandava Stadium a month later.
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Still seething with anger from Thursday’s match, Chilumba feels his squad will always be better than the Platinum miners.
“It was clear that we were in control of the game and we were dominating them (FC Platinum). We were better than them and we will always be. “It is just that we were robbed. So we can beat them anytime,” said Chilumba.
Hwange would want to continue from where they left off on Thursday where they dominated FC Platinum for the entire match, but missed a glut of chances in a game where they were unsettled by Sibanda’s 12th minute disputed goal.
Platinum will seek to exploit slack marking by Hwange’s back line of central defenders Aaron Katebe and Gerald Ndlovu as well as wing-backs Munyaradzi Mungadze and Erick Chipeta who were a letdown as they were easily breached in all the goals, although they came back meaner in the second half.
In the absence of Cabby Kamhapa, Rowan Nenzou, whose biggest strength is good ball distribution, was deployed as a holding midfielder, but was failing to win the ball and break Hwange’s attacks from the midfield.
Left-back Qadr Amini, who limped off the pitch on Thursday, is a doubtful starter tomorrow, while Donald Ngoma’s ankle remains strapped in a plaster.
