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Kenny Ndebele

Petros Kausiyo Harare Bureau
NORMAL service is set to resume in Bulawayo with the Premier Soccer League lining up a double dose of top-flight action at Barbourfields tomorrow after a forced hiatus owing to security concerns. Premiership action in the City of Kings, which houses five top-flight sides – Highlanders, Chicken Inn, How Mine, Tsholotsho and Bulawayo City – had been put on hold amid security concerns by the Zimbabwe Republic Police following the incidents of violence, which had rocked Bulawayo last week.

The PSL, acting on the advice of the ZRP, were then forced to suspend action in Bulawayo until the law enforcements agents had assessed the security situation in the city. However, PSL chief executive Kenny Ndebele emerged from a meeting with the ZRP yesterday to advise that they had now been given the green light to stage league games in the city.

Ndebele said they had since lined up a double header tomorrow at Barbourfields before resurgent Harare giants Dynamos also take to the same venue for a date against How Mine on Thursday.

Bulawayo City will face bottom-placed Border Strikers in the first of tomorrow’s double header at 1pm before Rahman Gumbo’s Chicken Inn welcome Ngezi Platinum two hours later. The three games tomorrow and Thursday will be beamed live on SuperSport.

“We had a meeting with the police this morning and we’ve been assured that everything is now okay so we will resume action in Bulawayo with some mid-week games and then the weekend matches.

“We’re still working on how best to reschedule the postponed games because we will need to slot them in either before the mid-season break or during the break. “We should have those games played and cleared before we resume the Week 16 round of fixtures.

“But what was very important for us was to be guided by the police on the security situation so that we’re not caught up in any violent situations,’’ Ndebele said. Bulawayo City will be hoping to become the latest team to add to Border Strikers’ woes when they host the Beitbridge outfit.

Border Strikers remain anchored at the bottom of the log standings after suffering their 11th defeat in 13 starts following a 2-0 loss at the hands of former champions Dynamos at Rufaro on Sunday.

Champions Chicken Inn have also been inconsistent and Gumbo’s men struggled to a 2-1 reverse to Chapungu at Ascot on Saturday. In contrast Ngezi Platinum who seem to have found their rhythm under Tonderai Ndiraya edged a ZPC Kariba outfit coached by his former mentor Sunday Chidzambwa 1-0 at home on Saturday.

It has been a similar tale of inconsistency for Kelvin Kaindu’s How Mine who could only manage a 0-0 draw at Harare City on Saturday and who must now face a youthful Dynamos side that has finally remembered how to win.

While their coach Lloyd Mutasa continues to be modest and refuses to throw his team into the championship title equation, a brilliant run of five straight wins has had the Harare giants’ multitude of fans believing in their team again.

That Dynamos eased into fourth place and four points behind leaders FC Platinum who have 27 has heightened hopes of a return to the top of the log standings among the Dynamos fans, while also heaping pressure on their rivals among the leading pack.

Dynamos also seem to have put behind them the agony of losing skipper Augustine Mbara in midweek after the tall centre back signed for newly promoted South African Premiership side Highlands Park.

Midweek Premiership action, will however, not only be centred in Bulawayo as the league’s chiefs have also lined up games in Harare, Chiredzi, Kariba, Mutare and Hwange.

Third-placed Caps United will receive ailing Tsholotsho at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow, the same day that Mhofu Chidzambwa will for the second game running face another of his protégés – Moses Chunga as ZPC Kariba receive Harare City at Nyamhunga.

In other games tomorrow FC Platinum are back on the road again with a long trip to the Colliery to face Hwange and Triangle are at home to Chapungu while on Thursday’s only other match features Highlanders against Mutare City at Sakubva.