CHICKEN INN coach Joey Antipas is ruing the decision to release striker Obadiah Tarumbwa as the team went on to lose Clive Augusto, who left to join South African Premiership side Maritzburg United.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
Tarumbwa requested to leave Chicken Inn in July with six months remaining to his contract with the GameCocks and joined Premiership hopefuls Talen Vision, who are ruling the roost in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League.
He has so far scored four goals and provided 11 assists since his arrival.
The veteran striker struggled for game time at Chicken Inn, with Augusto scoring for fun.
Augusto, who had banged in 14 goals for Chicken Inn, left in August to join Maritzburg.
And after seeing his side struggle for goals in their 1-1 draw against Chapungu at Luveve on Saturday, Antipas admitted that the club made a bad judgment releasing Tarumbwa.
“It was bad judgment on our part (releasing Tarumbwa). We did not know that Clive (Augusto) was going until three days before he left, so it was bad judgment because with our source of goals Clive gone, I would say we miss him. But life goes on. We just have to pick ourselves up; dust ourselves up and keep pushing,” Antipas said.
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Chicken Inn tried to hold on to Augusto, but the club gave in after the player was put under pressure by different suitors.
The GameCocks are now five points behind log leaders Caps United, with nine games to go to the end of the season and Antipas is hoping for better fortunes in the remaining matches.
“All we can do is just believe … It’s getting tougher and tougher as games go on. But you never know; if we can catch a good patch of form with nine games to go. That is what we are hoping for.
But we can’t rely on other teams’ results; we have to rely on our own,” he said.
Chicken Inn have Obriel Chirinda and Nicole Mutatiwa as some of their strikers, together with Benedict Sithole, brought in from Beitbridge-based Division One side Dulivhadzimo.
They also have Valentine Kadonzvo, Brett Amidu and Malvin Gaki as their attacking options.
