The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
Harare City………………………………. 0
Bulawayo Chiefs……………………….. 0
INCONSISTENT Harare City endured another frustrating afternoon when they failed to beat struggling basement club Bulawayo Chiefs in a Castle Lager Premiership match at Rufaro yesterday.
Chiefs arrived in Harare without a win nor a point in the Premiership this season and sought to manage the damage more than play with adventure.
As a result, two of their players were booked for time wasting but that counted for little as the visitors were celebrating their first point in seven starts.
The Chiefs tactics did not go down well with City coach Mark Harrison who seemed to pour more of his frustration on the referees and often remonstrated rated with the fourth official.
Chiefs’ coach Farai Tawachera said part of his game plan had been to play a defensively and employ all antics that would help them avoid defeat including delaying tactics as they battle for survival.
“This was our first point of the season and we thank the Almighty for the point and besides, we are Chiefs and Chiefs do not go down easily, we had to do something and delaying was part of the game plan.
“It was not an easy game, we came prepared, we know what they can do very brilliantly and we worked on their areas of weakness which is that at times they possess the ball too much. That allowed us to go back into our defensive mode,’’ Tawachera said.
Harrison said despite their opponents’ delaying tactics, his charges need to take responsibility for the lost chances.
“We destroyed them in the second half and we dominated possession but players sometimes got to take responsibility.
“When they get a chance to score they need to use it because we created chances but failed to utilise and definitely something needs to be done.
“Individually they need to do something when they get to the pitch, when they get the ball, they need to have a cool mind and put the ball in the net but they failed so that is individual responsibility,’’ Harrison said.
Meanwhile, Ngezi Platinum coach Erol Akbay is seriously starting to question his players’ mental strength after his team fell 1-0 at ZPC Kariba yesterday. At home, Ngezi look solid and have already dispatched of red hot Chicken Inn (2-1) and TelOne (1-0), but struggle away where they have managed one out of a possible nine points.
It was the same story again yesterday as Simbarashe Gorogodyo’s 83rd minute free-kick proved to be the decider.
“It might be in the head of the players, maybe the pitches we play on, I just don’t know,” said Akbay when asked on his team’s away form.
“It’s just not working out, when we are on the road. “We didn’t create a lot of chances and we were punished for a silly error on our part.
“Anyway, we have to dust ourselves and start preparing for the next game,’’ Akbay said.
ZPC came into the game the better prepared side, bullying their opponents at every chance they got.
he hosts finished the game a man down, after Munyaradzi Kunyarimwe was shown his marching orders for deliberately clapping Nelson Katala in the 55th minute.
ZPC ‘s victory came on the day they were celebrating their coach Godfrey Tamirepi’s birthday.
“This was a hard fought victory, a difficult match and tactical duel between two good sides, “said Tamirepi.
