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Simba Sithole, in the race for the Golden Boot, even though he played just half the season.
With his 10 goals, Sithole – who is now on the books of South African Pre-miership giants Mamelodi Sundowns – is the league’s top goal-scorer.

Those who have been saying that the Premiership is facing a strikers’ crisis appear to be vindicated by each passing week as the marksmen struggle to make an impression. Sithole, the former Shooting Stars forward, joined Mamelodi Sundowns in June when he inked a five-year contract.
Sithole featured in 10 games for CAPS United and laced his appearances with hat-tricks in the Green Machine’s wins over Masvingo United and Zimbabwe Saints.

On average, Sithole has scored a goal in each game and CAPS United chief executive Maxwell Mironga believes the young striker would have won the Golden Boot award had he completed the season with them.
The Harare Derby, the Premiership’s flagship fixture, produced four goals, with one in the first game, and three in the second, and half of them being scored by one player.
The leading goal-scorer at DeMbare has just nine goals and the top two goal-scorers at the Glamour Boys have a combined tally of 14. The leading goal-scorer at Highlanders has five goals and the combined total of the two leading goals-scorers at Bosso is just 10 goals – exactly the number of goals Sithole scored in just 10 league matches.

The combined total of the leading four goal-scorers at Dynamos and Highlanders can only give us a return of 24 goals, with just seven league matches left in the season.
Incredibly, the leading goal-scorer at Premiership leaders Motor Action has just four league goals and the combined total of the two leading scorers at the Mighty Bulls (eight goals) is two goals less than what Sithole scored in just 10 league games.
The three leading goal-scorers at Motor Action, Allen Gahadzikwa (four), Eddie Chitato (four) and Gift Phiri (four) have a combined tally of just a dozen goals, two better than Sithole.

The leading scorer at FC Platinum has nine goals and the combined total of the two leading goal-scorers at the club is just 15 goals.
It’s almost certain that Sithole will not win the Golden Boot award at the end, as Dynamos’ Roderick Mutuma and Charles Sibanda of FC Platinum are just a goal behind on nine.
There are still seven games before the end of the season and Gunners’ Leonard Fiyado, who scored six goals during the second half, has a good chance of also getting the Golden Boot.
Fiyado has been the most consistent goal-scorer in the league since Sithole left.

But it is the manner in which all the Premiership strikers have failed to eclipse Sithole that paints pictures of a dearth in sure-footed marksmen in the league.
At the current rate, it will be asking too much to have the winner of the Golden Boot scoring more than 20 goals.
Evans Gwekwerere, who moved across the Great Divide to join CAPS United at the beginning of the season, has scored just seven league goals.
But, Mutuma said he was not under any pressure to dislodge Sithole from the top but hopes to overtake the former CAPS United striker soon.

Mutuma has played no less than 20 league games for Dynamos this season, putting his average strike rate at 0.45 percent.
“At the moment we have managed to close the gap on Sithole and very soon I should be above him.
“I am not under pressure to score but it’s my aim to win the Golden Boot at the end of the season.
“I am sure Sithole was lucky to score hat-tricks in the first half of the season and that pushed his tally.

“But anyway that is football,” said Mutuma.
The Dynamos striker said his game has improved a lot since he started to partner veteran striker Cuthbert Malajila.
“The coming of Malajila has eased the burden on me.
“He is a seasoned player who helps me a lot and there is no longer any pressure for me to score.

“Looking at the Golden Boot race, I am just one goal behind and anything can happen in the last seven games.
“I am not even worried that it has taken so long for us to close the gap.
“What is important is for the team to win,” said Mutuma.

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