CAPS United have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clash against Hwange at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday with key players, Ronald Pfumbidzai and Kudzanai Nyamupfukudza, suspended for the match having accumulated three yellow cards each.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The Premier Soccer League made the announcement yesterday with Pfumbidzai having picked yellow cards in matches against Dynamos, Border Strikers and Bulawayo City last Sunday, while Nyamupfukudza was booked in matches against ZPC Kariba, Triangle and the recent one against Bulawayo City.
Pfumbidzai has been one of the stand-out performers at Caps United this season. Although, their success story in the campaign so far has been about team work, Pfumbidzai is one player who has given them an edge.
He has gone beyond the call of duty every time he has played and last Sunday against Bulawayo City, he imposed himself on the game, with trademark overlapping runs on the left channel helping the Green Machine to a deserved 2-1 victory.
And Lloyd Chitembwe will have to do without him as he plots Hwange’s downfall in his bid to win his maiden championship as a coach. But Chitembwe will argue that he has still posted good results without him and Hardlife Zvirekwi, one of the stars of this Caps United squad, when they were called up for the Warriors to take part in the Cosafa tournament in Namibia.
Team manager Shakespeare Chinogwenya admitted the players would be missed, but said the club had equally effective cover.
“We will miss them, we would have wanted to have them, but the club has equally good replacements in Moses Muchenje and Cabby Kamhapa who can come in place of Kudzi and Justice Jangano can replace Pfumbidzai. It will be a good opportunity for some of the players that have not been playing,” Chinogwenya said.
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Caps United – two points adrift of leaders Highlanders who have 26 points – have picked up 11 points in their last five matches after winning three and drawing the other two, the kind of form that should give them confidence going into the match against Hwange. They are third on the form table considering the last five matches after Highlanders and Dynamos, who have collected 13 and 12 points respectively.
And with the log leaders facing off a plucky Chicken Inn this weekend, a window of opportunity could open up for them to go top, only if they win their own game.
The Hwange tie will not be an easy one, however.
The coal miners might have dipped in form since losing coach Nation Dube after he was implicated in the match-fixing scandal, but they remain a threat.
Hwange face Chicken Inn this afternoon in a rescheduled Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the Colliery.
They lie in 11th place with 13 points having won four matches, lost five and drawn once, but have one game in hand.
They are coming from a dispiriting 1-0 defeat to Premiership new boys Mutare City and will be looking to turn things around as the league programme staggers towards the halfway mark.
