CHICKEN Inn coach Mandla Mpofu will be hoping for some consistency this afternoon when his charges host wounded but tricky Buffaloes in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Luveve Stadium.
REPORT BY FORTUNE MBELE
After going through a lean spell, the GameCox appear to have bounced back to winning ways, steadily rising on the log table to position six with 16 points from 10 matches after beating Motor Action 2-1 at Luveve a fortnight ago and dismissing Black Rhinos 1-0 at Gwanzura last Saturday.
They take on Buffaloes, who have registered three successive defeats, and Mpofu believes that alone renders this afternoon’s encounter a tricky affair.
“It is going to be a tough match considering that Buffaloes have gone for three matches without a win. They have actually lost three matches in a row and they are definitely wounded. I hope the two wins are a confidence booster for us.
“There are different pressures on both sides. We have gone through our bad patch and we have gained confidence, but we know that they (Buffaloes) will come at us. Our camp is healthy, morale is high and everyone is raring to go,” Mpofu said.
Chicken Inn will definitely be pinning hopes on top marksman Tendai Ndoro, who has banged six goals.
Despite the bad patch last year around this time, Chicken Inn were on position eight with 15 points, an indication that the competition in the Premiership could be stiffer this year, with today’s games likely to usher in some variations on the log standings.
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Ndoro, who currently tops the scorers’ chart with Dynamos’ Washington Pakamisa and Harare City’s Osborne Mukuradare, has, however, not scored in the last three matches and is definitely hungry for the nets.
He has combined well with Mkhokheli Dube, who did not play against Black Rhinos, while Tendai Mukambi and Thomas Chimenya are also available for selection.
They are without defender Tonisani Sibelo, who saw red during the Rhinos match, while Warriors fringe players Felix Chindungwe and workhorse Thabani Goredema will also be available.
Buffaloes head coach Saul Chaminuka, who has lost all his matches in Bulawayo so far, falling 3-0 to Highlanders and 2-0 to high-flying How Mine, will be playing his last league game in the City of Kings this season and is confident of coming out with positive results.
“We have been losing of late and it is very terrible, but it’s the name of the game. You win some and you lose some. We need to bounce back to our winning ways. We definitely must get something positive and it will be cruel to come out empty-handed again in Bulawayo in our last game,” Chaminuka said.
After thumping Black Rhinos 4-1 in Mutare, the army side went on to lose 3-0 to Bosso and 2-0 to How Mine in Bulawayo and 2-1 to Black Mambas, conceding seven goals in three matches.
They will arrive at Luveve with the likes of Steven Sibanda, Roy Mwenga, Farai Banda, who started on a bright note, and veteran Wonder Sithole.
In May last year, they beat Chicken Inn 1-0 at Luveve though a goal by Malvern Dumbura and will be hoping that the gods smile on them again.
