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Nation Dube

Tobias Mandoreba in Hwange
Hwange 0-1 Chicken Inn

ARE Hwange under a “curse” or the football gods have just turned their backs on them when playing at home?

A priceless goal by Chris Samakweri on the stroke of half time clinched three points for visiting Chicken Inn in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the Colliery Stadium yesterday.

The coalminers have now gone for 270 minutes of football without a win at their once feared home ground and they are yet to score at the Colliery Stadium.

Chicken Inn, who went into the match bruised following a midweek loss to Black Rhinos, were the first to settle and could have grabbed the opening goal inside the first minute had striker Obidiah Tarumbwa not directed his effort off target from inside the box under no challenge at all.

On the quarter hour mark, defender Guide Goddard almost put Chicken Inn ahead when he unleashed a stinging free kick from the edge of the box which was acrobatically tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Taimon Mvula.

Hardly two minutes later, goal scorer Samakweri collected a pass from Tarumbwa on the edge of the box only for his curler to just miss the right upright, with Mvula diving desparately.

The hosts then started launching forays into the Chicken Inn box with Justine Kaunda leading a deadly raid from the right flank in the 35th minute. His chip intended for Gilbert Zulu was scooped out of danger by Thabani Goredema.

On the stroke of half time, the world crumbled on Hwange when a well worked move involving man-of-the-match Thomas Kadyaridzire and Tafadzwa Kutinyu saw the latter lay the ball for Samakweri at the edge of the box and he obliged with a hard and low shot that went through a forest of legs into the far corner past a diving Mvula.

Hwange fans must have started fearing for the worst after the goal as Chicken Inn started the second half with some purposeful attacking football. In the 48th minute, Goddard was up to his usual threat when his trademark free kick again drew the best out of an alert Mvula.

Hwange tried to fight back after the introduction of Collen Muleya and Muli Jimu for Oscar Lungu and Kaunda, but they wilted, thanks to resolute defending by Moses Jackson and Devine Lunga.

A worried Hwange coach Nation Dube now believes the losses are psychological.

“It is now case of the boys being under a lot of pressure when they play at home and it’s now affecting them if you compare to how they play away. I hope they will quickly get over it and start playing well at home. I am also not happy with today’s refereeing,” said Dube.

Chicken Inn goalkeepers’ coach Julius Ndlovu, who stood in for Rahman Gumbo, who had a sore throat, said his team studied Hwange well.

“We studied our opponents at their game against Bantu and capitalised on their weaknesses. It is good to bounce back to winning and we hope we can maintain the momentum,” said Ndlovu.

Teams

Hwange: T Mvula; C Phiri; G Ndlovu; H Kaunda; A Tshuma; N Chinyerere (A Banda 76th min); O Lungu (C Muleya 54th min); M Mekiwa; G Zulu; S Gadzikwa; J Kaunda (M Jimu 62th min)

Chicken Inn: E Chipezeze; G Goddard; D Lunga; M Jackson; B Nyahunzvi; C Samakweri (P Bernard 68th min); T Goredema; K Gurure (N Muchadeyi 80th min); O Tarumbwa (I Lawe 76th min); T Kutinyu; T Kadyaridzire.

— @tobymandox