Bulawayo City and Hwange coaches are both in spots of bother as they attempt to lead their respective teams to beat the drop in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
Two clubs will be joining Bantu Rovers and Tsholotsho back to Division One when the curtain comes down on Saturday with Hwange, Bulawayo City and Harare City in tricky final-day encounters.
Harare City are on the brink with 35 points after losing 2-0 to Hwange at the Colliery on Sunday and a win in the last game at home against How Mine takes them to 38 points, but their fate is not entirely in their own hands as they have to rely on results from elsewhere.
Bulawayo City (36 points) host Bantu Rovers in their last game, while Hwange (37 points) travel to Nyamhunga for a date with ZPC Kariba.
If Harare City draw or lose, they will be relegated.
A win for Bulawayo City against already-relegated Bantu Rovers takes their points tally to 39, but coach Mandla Mpofu is not taking anything for granted.
“It’s a tricky situation. We must win the Bantu Rovers game at all costs,” he said.
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“Chances are still there for us to survive. The result in Kariba must favour us. If Hwange lose or draw and we win, we will be in the comfort zone. Winning my game and the result in Kariba is what matters most now. The draw against Caps United helped us.” If Bulawayo City lose or draw against Bantu Rovers, they bid farewell to top-flight action, but depending on the margin of their win they could drag Shabanie Mine (39 points) into trouble if the Zvishavane-based side lose to Yadah at Maglas with Hwange prevailing in Kariba.
Hwange just need a win and are safe while Shabanie Mine need at least a draw to stay afloat.
Chipangano coach Bigboy Mawiwi, brought in to save the team from the chop, said they will fight to the end.
“For the past five games we have been hanging precariously and if we lose this last match, we would be out. We are calm and preparing to fight for survival. Just like any other team in the relegation matrix, we are going to fight to avoid the chop,” he said.
Fixtures
Saturday: Shabanie Mine v Yadah (Maglas), Harare City v How Mine (Rufaro), ZPC Kariba v Hwange (Nyamhunga), Tsholotsho v Black Rhinos (Dulivhadzimo), Bulawayo City v Bantu Rovers (Luveve), Ngezi Platinum v Triangle (Baobab), Highlanders v Caps United (Barbourfields), Dynamos v Chicken Inn (National Sports Stadium), Chapungu v FC Platinum (Ascot)
