City need divine intervention

August 28, 2018

City need divine intervention

Bekithemba Ndlovu

Bekithemba Ndlovu

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
IT looks as though municipal funded side Bulawayo City FC will need divine intervention to survive relegation after recording their 17th defeat of the season in their 1-2 loss to Triangle United in a Castle Lager Premiership match at Gibbo Stadium on Sunday.

Bulawayo City are wallowing in the relegation mud, second from the bottom of the 18-team table with 15 points from 24 games.

Statistics certainly don’t favour Bulawayo City, as from the four teams that occupied the bottom four places last season, only Shabanie Mine managed to escape the chop.

Shabanie Mine were fourth from the bottom with 25 points after 24 games, but Harare City, who were two places above the asbestos miners with 28 points, were relegated.

Bantu Rovers, who had 12 points from 24 games, Tsholotsho on 15, and Hwange (23) were the other three teams that were automatically relegated last season.

Harare City only returned to the topflight via the boardroom after How Mine folded before the start of the 2018 season.

This season, the bottom four teams comprise table anchors Shabanie Mine tied on 15 points with Bulawayo City, Mutare City Rovers on 18 points and Nichrut on 24 points.

With just 10 matches left before the season ends, it is becoming clear that Bulawayo City, Shabanie Mine and Mutare City are headed for the unfashionable Zifa Division One.

Bulawayo City are winless in seven games in the second half of the season, which include five consecutive defeats that have left them rooted in the relegation quagmire.

In the seven matches, they’ve only managed to collect a point from a 1-1 draw against Harare City.

Last month Bulawayo City fired coach Amini Soma-Phiri, barely three months after engaging the former Highlanders’ coach in a desperate effort to save the sinking ship. Soma-Phiri was in charge for 10 games, winning twice against relegation threatened Shabanie Mine and Mutare City, drawing twice with Yadah and Harare City and losing six times.

Soma-Phiri had replaced Darlington Dodo, a coach who got Tsholotsho relegated from the Premiership in 2017. Dodo was fired after eight games after losing his sixth match of the season, as it became clear that he was way off the target of 20 points from 10 games.

Bekithemba Ndlovu then took charge of two games, winning 3-0 against Nichrut and losing 2-1 to Chicken Inn, before Soma-Phiri was engaged.

Ndlovu has once again been thrown onto Bulawayo City’s hot seat and victories are eluding him, as he has lost all the four games he has been in charge since taking over from Soma-Phiri.

Despite boasting “big” names like goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya, defenders Zephaniah Ngodzo and Erick Mudzingwa and midfielders Chris Samakweri, Innocent Kutsanzira and Rainsome Pavari, Bulawayo City can’t seem to find a winning solution.

Bulawayo City’s remaining games are against Dynamos at home, away to Nichrut, Chicken Inn, Shabanie Mine, Ngezi Platinum Stars, Highlanders, ZPC Kariba, Caps United, Mutare City and Yadah.

Should Ndlovu save Bulawayo City from relegation, his stock will rise, but his resume will be tarnished should he fail.

Bottom six teams table 2018

P   W   D    L   F   A   GD    Pts
Dynamos    22   6   8   8   18   23   -5   26
Chapungu    24   6    7   11   18    29   -11    25
Nichrut   24   6   6    12   20   28    -8   24
Mutare City    24   4   6   14    20    31    -11    18
Bulawayo City   24    4    3   17    19    34   -15    15
Shabanie Mine    23    2    9    12   21   47    -26    15

Bottom four teams table 2017

P   W   D   L   F    A   GD    Pts
Harare City    24   7    7   10    18    18    0   28
Yadah    24    7   6    11   20    29   -9   27
Shabanie Mine    24   6    7    11    15    24    -9    25
Hwange    24    6   5   13    21    31    -10    23
Tsholotsho    24    2   9    13    14   34   -20    15
Bantu Rovers   24   3    3    18    21   49   -28    12
—@ZililoR