The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
BUFFALOES will face a weaker Hwange without influential trio of David Boriwondo, Rodwell Chinyengetere and Gerald Ndlovu all out on suspension, but former Mutare side defence lynchpin, Themba Ndlovu, believes his ex-paymasters need not lose concentration until the final whistle of their season’s closing match against the coal miners.
Buffaloes take on troublesome Hwange at Sakubva Stadium on Sunday in a match that Moses Chunga’s men will be out to save their life in the top-flight league.
The match starts at 3pm.
The tough tackling yet soft-spoken Ndlovu said if Watungwa Watungwa entertains hopes of saving their life in the Castle Lager Premiership they should labour long and hard to the last minute.
The Mutare side is now perfecting the art of escaping relegation on the last day of the season after going through the same experience last year and for Chunga the top-eight finish is no longer a matter of priority, but survival.
Buffaloes cannot afford to either draw or lose the match given that those results are likely to see them heading for the less fashionable Division One league next season.
That Hwange is the same team that outplayed Buffaloes to a humiliating 5-1 defeat in the season opening match, away at the Colliery, puts into perspective the mammoth task that now awaits the Mutare soldiers.
However, Hwange will have nothing, but pride to play for given that they have already amassed 42 points and will not be relegated if they lose to Buffaloes, neither can they attain a top four finish even if they win Sunday’s tie against Buffaloes.
Be that as it may, Buffaloes former defender Ndlovu, who had a fantastic season with Dynamos this year, reminded his former team-mates of the need to be on guard the entire 90 minutes.
Ndlovu reckons that Hwange is a tough opponent and play well away from home.
“I think Buffaloes need not lose concentration for the entire 90 minutes. They need to be always on guard because Hwange are quite a tough opponent for any team in the league.
“The other thing is that Hwange are good on the road. They have been posting impressive results away from home hence Buffaloes need to be at their all time best to keep the coal-mining strikers at bay,” said Ndlovu.
Mutare soldiers find themselves, once again, in real danger of getting relegated and results on the final day of the season will determine whether the team will have a fourth successive season in the country’s top flight league.
A defeat or a draw at home on Sunday for Buffaloes in its final match of the season against Hwange might leave the Mutare side heading for Division One, especially if teams below them win their season’s final matches.
Their coach Chunga, expressed confidence in a recent interview with this newspaper that he is capable of winning against Hwange and secure a place for the Mutare soldiers place in the 2015 Castle Lager Premiership season.
“I really cannot wait for the man next door to do the job for me. We will have to do it ourselves. We just have to win against Hwange and ensure that we survive.
“Yes, we are not in a good position and what makes the matter worse for us is that our colleagues have money and we don’t. If one does not have a financial muscle it gives competitors an advantage,” Chunga was quoted as saying recently.
Hwange will be without Chinyengetere after the Hwange hit-man accumulated three yellow cards in his teams’ matches against FC Platinum, Highlanders and Black Rhinos while Boriwondo was cautioned in matches against Highlanders, Triangle and FC Platinum.
Gerald Ndlovu got three yellow cards in matches against Chapungu, Chicken Inn and FC Platinum.
Castle Lager PSL Matchday 30 fixtures:
Sunday: Harare City v Chicken Inn (Rufaro Stadium): Triangle United v Shabanie Mine (Gibbo Stadium); Black Rhinos v Bantu Rovers (Rimuka Stadium); Buffaloes v Hwange (Sakubva Stadium); FC Platinum v Chiredzi (Mandava Stadium); Highlanders vs Chapungu (Hartsfield Stadium); ZPC Kariba v Caps United (Gwanzura: Live on Supersport); Dynamos v How Mine (National Sports Stadium).
