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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS may be playing some entertaining football, but their six-match winless streak is worrisome, retired coach Cosmas Zulu said yesterday. The waning Bulawayo giants last registered victory on May 24 when they beat Whawha 2-0 at Barbourfields. Since then, they have only managed to collect a paltry five points out of a possible 18.

On Sunday, Highlanders allowed defending champions Dynamos to claw back into the game and snatch a point at Barbourfields in a match that they could have easily won.

Midfielder Mthulisi Maphosa, who was returning from injury, thrust Highlanders into the lead with a beautiful header after connecting a perfect cross from Obidiah Tarumbwa in the 27th minute. Dynamos equalised through stocky striker Takesure Chinyama two minutes after the break, beating Highlanders goalkeeper Njabulo Nyoni at the near post.

The result left Highlanders glued on position nine with 22 points, six above the murky relegation waters.

Bosso needs at least six wins from the remaining 13 outings to secure their Premiership status, a feat that could prove to be daunting for them.

Their next five outings are tricky and will certainly be stern tests.

Highlanders take on How Mine in their next league game followed by FC Platinum at home on Week 19 before they travel to Gweru for a date with Whawha, who happen to be the last team they beat. Their next game will be against Chicken Inn.

On Week 21, Bosso make a road trip to the capital to square off with Harare City, who gave them a real scare in the 1-1 reverse fixture.

“My concern as an ex-player, coach and manager is that five points from a possible 18 is scary. Statistics don’t lie and it remains to be seen whether the team will be able to turn around its fortunes in the coming games. I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but the next five games will be crucial to determine the team’s direction,” said Zulu.

“Looking at the way the team has been playing, it becomes difficult to predict which games they can collect maximum points. They’re drawing a lot and need to work on that,” he said.

Zulu was part of the crowd that watched the epic Highlanders-Dynamos clash on Sunday and was not surprised when the game ended in a draw.

“After seeing the first 11 from both teams, I told myself that we were in for a stalemate. Both coaches Bongani Mafu and David Mandigora were cowardly. Their fear of losing was greater than their desire to win and that’s why they were so defensive,” he said.

Former national team midfielder Ronald “Gidiza” Sibanda, who was analysing the match for Star FM, said Highlanders’ biggest undoing was lack of precision.

“It was a game of two halves where Highlanders dominated the first half and with a bit of precision, they could’ve won the game. They surprised everyone with their 3-5-2 formation where they had about seven defensive-minded players. Everyone wanted to see how they were going to play and they dominated the first half but failed to use their chances,” said Sibanda.

“I believe what Highlanders need is a consistent performance rather than a patchy one. I’ve seen a number of games where they perform badly in the first half and improve in the last half or vice-versa. If they learn to turn their dominance into goals and continue exhibiting performances they showed us in both legs against Dynamos, then they’re capable of a better second half of the season.”

Sibanda took a swipe at Highlanders’ players for failing to explode in the big match.

“Such big games are matches where one can rise and take control of the game. I think sometimes players fail the coaches because at times there are players like Nqobizitha Masuku, a national team player, who you expect to be the heartbeat of the team, but you can’t see him in big games.

“I think the mentality of these boys is different from how it was during our days because we used to push ourselves in big games. I was impressed with Felix Chindungwe’s performance because he came back into the team and justified his presence,” Sibanda said.

Ex-Bosso striker Zenzo Moyo challenged his former club to be ruthless when attacking and resolute in defence.

“The boys tried but I feel they’ve to be ruthless when they take the lead. They must be ruthless when they get scoring opportunities. They had a chance to win the Dynamos game but they let it slip. Highlanders blew hot and cold and hot again, but still failed to get the winner. It’s time that these Bosso players learn to convert half chances because they rarely come,” said Moyo.

Meanwhile, Chicken Inn slipped into second position on the table after being held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Dongo Sawmill in Rusape. The Gamecocks are on 31 points, one behind Triangle United, who beat ZPC Kariba 2-1 in Kariba. Chicken Inn still have an opportunity to get back to the top of the table should the PSL Disciplinary Committee decide to award them maximum points for the abandoned game against Dongo Sawmill in the first half of the season.

Results

Saturday: Flame Lily 2-2 Tsholotsho FC, Chapungu 1-1 Whawha, ZPC Kariba 1-2 Triangle

Sunday: Highlanders 1-1 Dynamos, Dongo Sawmill 1-1 Chicken Inn, Caps United 0-1 Harare City, Hwange 2-0 How Mine, Buffaloes 0-3 FC Platinum

PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE TABLE

P W D L F A GD Pts

Triangle United 17 9 5 3 33 13 20 32

*Chicken Inn 16 9 4 3 22 11 10 31

FC Platinum 17 8 4 5 32 17 15 29

How Mine 17 8 5 4 23 15 8 29

Dynamos 17 7 8 2 16 11 5 29

Harare City 17 6 8 3 19 13 6 26

Caps United 17 6 7 4 12 13 -1 25

Chapungu 17 6 6 5 14 14 0 24

Highlanders 17 5 7 5 17 15 2 22

Hwange 17 3 10 4 16 17 -1 19

ZPC Kariba 17 3 7 7 21 24 -3 16

Tsholotsho FC 17 3 8 7 9 16 -7 16

Buffaloes 17 3 7 7 13 26 -13 16

Flame Lily 17 2 8 7 12 21 -9 14

Whawha 17 3 5 9 9 30 -21 14

*Dongo Sawmills 16 2 6 8 10 21 -11 12

*Match abandoned, waiting PSL verdict