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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
IT was an exhilarating end to the 2014 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season on Sunday with Caps United once again becoming kingmakers by beating ZPC Kariba to gift Dynamos their fourth consecutive title.Caps United rightfully deserve to change their name from “Cup Kings” to “Kingmakers” as they have had an influence on where the championship lands in the last two seasons.

Even though they are perennial rivals to DeMbare, Caps United have helped their old foes by disappointing title challengers as last season they  held Harare City to a 2-2 draw when a victory  could have landed the Sunshine City Boys the  trophy.  This time around they beat ZPC Kariba 3-2 on the last day.

ZPC Kariba went into the last day needing a draw but they found Caps United supercharged, fighting like a wounded lion or as if their entire lives depended on that game.

It was a good professional display by Caps United who showed that there are no favours in football and if there was an accolade for fair play, then Makepekepe duly deserves one. Their heroic performance left many wondering where they could have been if they had been consistent from the first game.

The unfair part on ZPC Kariba is that they are the only club that managed to complete a league double on the champions – Dynamos – but failed to clinch the title. They had the best season’s unbeaten run of 19 matches but just like Highlanders in 2012, many draws cost them the title.

By any standards the electricity generators had done well in their maiden topflight appearance.  After their inspirational 2-1 win against Dynamos a fortnight ago which gave them a two-point lead over the champions, expectations were high that the Kariba outfit will follow Black Rhinos’ 1984 feat when they won the title in their maiden season.

As former Soccer Star of the Year Zenzo Moyo aptly put it two weeks ago, “It’s not easy to win the title when Dynamos are breathing on your neck. You’ve to wrap it up on Week 29 so that when you go for the last game you aren’t under pressure because if you think a two or three-point lead over them is healthy, then you’ll be joking.”

Dynamos did their part dismantling How Mine 2-0 and ZPC Kariba who had conceded that pressure was on their side lost 3-2 when it mattered most.

ZPC Kariba coach Saul Chaminuka blamed his team’s overconfidence for their downfall.

“My boys were over-confident and underestimated Caps United. It’s a good lesson to us and others that you shouldn’t be over-confident until you have actually won the game. We just didn’t put a good performance against Caps United. All the same we tried to fight but when you concede three goals it becomes difficult,” said Chaminuka.

Maybe the bigger picture now for ZPC Kariba is how they can recover from this so-near-yet-so-far season’s performance.

Most of their players are experienced guys who might not be able to repeat the performance next season. They, however, have to avoid what almost got Harare City relegated, high staff turnover.

As for DeMbare, they showed everyone that they are the “main actors in a movie who like to make life difficult for themselves and rise from their death bed when people think they’re dead and buried,” said one senior sports journalist.

On the last game Pasuwa told journalists at the National Sports Stadium where his team had beaten How Mine 2-0 that he will not renew his contract when it ends on December 31.

The coach made numerous changes to his starting line-up bringing in benchwarmers Russell Madamombe, Tichaona Mamvura, Oscar Machapa, Farai Mupasiri and Milton Makopa who was playing his first 2014 game.  It paid off.

Madamombe and Murape Murape were on target for Dynamos.

The other team that finished strongly is FC Platinum who settled for position four, six points ahead of Highlanders who ended on position five with 45 points.

The platinum boys’ fortunes seem to have changed for the better after hiring Norman Mapeza following Lloyd Mutasa’s resignation.

Bosso wrapped up their disappointing season with a 2-0 win over Chapungu moving three places up the ladder.

On the relegation end, it was a miraculous escape for Harare City who beat bad travellers Chicken Inn 1-0 while Triangle United also survived the chop at the expense of Shabanie Mine who they overcame 2-1 at Gibbo Stadium.

Teams that will be plying their trade in the Zifa Division One Soccer Leagues are Chiredzi, Bantu Rovers, Shabanie Mine and Black Rhinos.