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Chicken Inn players lift the trophy as they celebrate winning the PSL Championship last Saturday

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
FOOTBALL lovers from the City of Kings had a memorable weekend as Chicken Inn were handed the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League trophy and Tsholotsho FC dramatically survived relegation.

Chicken Inn brought Dynamos’ four-year dominance to an end.

The Gamecocks became the first out of Harare club to win the championship since Highlanders last laid their hands on the trophy in 2006. Chicken Inn capped a fine season with a 2-1 away win against Flame Lily in Harare.

While the Gamecocks were receiving their trophy in the capital, there was jubilation back in Bulawayo when Tsholotsho battled to a 1-1 draw against Harare City and Dynamos beat Buffaloes 1-0 to condemn the Mutare-based soldiers to the lower tier league.

Tsholotsho’s survival brought joy not only to the club and its sponsors, but to Southern Region clubs as well.

The Southern Region didn’t lose a PSL club this season but instead gained another team in the form of newly promoted Bulawayo City, bringing their total number of clubs to six, which include Highlanders, Chicken Inn, Tsholotsho, How Mine and Hwange, with the coalminers being the only out of Bulawayo team in the Southern Region.

This suggests that dominance could be shifting to the Southern Region, and Bulawayo in particular, as their teams will have less trips to the Northern Region in 2016 where Harare has been left with three teams, Dynamos, Caps United and Harare City. This is the least number of PSL teams that the capital city has had in a decade.

The new scenario means teams from the capital will endure more travelling in 2016 which might hurt their championship hopes as fatigue could affect their players.

In 2006, the year Highlanders won the championship, Harare had seven clubs Dynamos, Caps United, Monomotapa, Black Rhinos, Buymore, Motor Action and Shooting Stars, while Bulawayo had only three teams, Highlanders, Railstars and Zimbabwe Saints.

Harare teams increased to eight in 2007 following the promotion of Lengthens and Dynamos wrestled the championship from Bosso in that year by capitalising on playing most of their league games in the capital.

The Northern Region ensured their dominance in 2008 by welcoming Kiglon into the topflight and again, a Harare-based club Monomotapa won the championship.

The following season, Gunners won the league title during a year in which Harare had 10 clubs after the promotion of Black Rhinos, who had been relegated at the end of 2007, as well as Chitungwiza’s Eagles, who came into the PSL via the Eastern Region ticket.

The 2009 season had only six out of Harare clubs, which included Highlanders, Hwange, Bantu Rovers, Underhill of Beitbridge and Masvingo’s Highway.

Teams from the capital increased to a record 11, which included Dynamos, Caps United, Monomotapa, Black Mambas, Shooting Stars, Kiglon, Eagles, Lengthens, Motor Action, Douglas Warriors and Gunners in the 2010 season. This ensured that they played 25 out of their 30 league matches in the capital.

The out of Harare trips were to Bulawayo where there was Highlanders and Bantu Rovers, Hwange, Shabanie Mine (Zvishavane) and Masvingo where there was FC Victoria. Motor Action, which was then coached by present champions Chicken Inn’s gaffer Joey Antipas, lifted the 2010 title.

Lengthens and Douglas Warriors were then relegated at the end of 2010, leaving the capital with nine clubs.

Dynamos then went on to win the championship for four consecutive years from 2011-14. DeMbare took advantage of playing most matches in Harare where there were nine teams in 2011, eight the following season, six in 2013 and four in 2014. There were four teams from Harare in the just ended season and Flame Lily’s relegation leaves the capital with just three sides, Dynamos, Caps United and Harare City for the 2016 season.

With statistics showing that Harare clubs only win the title when there are more PSL teams from the capital, the 2016 season is bound to be a difficult one for Northern Region sides as they will spend most of the time on the road to Bulawayo five times each to face Highlanders, Chicken Inn, Bulawayo City, Tsholotsho and How Mine. They will also travel to Hwange to face the coalminers, Zvishavane (FC Platinum), Gweru (Chapungu), Beitbridge (Border Strikers), Kariba (ZPC Kariba) and Chegutu (Ngezi Platinum). There are also high chances of them travelling to Masvingo to face Masvingo United, who are on the verge of a PSL return as they presently top the Zifa Eastern Region Division One soccer league one game before the end of the season.

And with the PSL set to relegate only two teams next season, the topflight action will certainly be tough and fans should brace for a great 2016 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship.