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Fungai Muderere at Luveve Stadium, Senior Sports Reporter

IN a dead rubber Castle Premier Soccer League (PSL) match, Arenel Movers and Chegutu Pirates played out a 0-0 draw yesterday at Luveve Stadium in Bulawayo.

With nothing to fight for, both teams were determined to outshine each other.

Arenel Movers finished the season with 23 points, while Chegutu Pirates were 11 points ahead. Despite the lack of significance, both teams were eager to go out with a bang, but they squandered numerous chances that could have given them a stronger end to the campaign. Even the coaches acknowledged that missed opportunities were a contributing factor to their relegation.

Arenel became the third team to be relegated from the Southern Region, joining Bulawayo Chiefs and Hwange.

Arenel Movers’ coach, Philani “Beefy” Ncube, expressed his gratitude towards the club’s executive but stated that he believes he is not suited for Division One football.

“We want to thank the executive for giving us the chance to compete this season, but unfortunately, we didn’t achieve the required results. I still maintain that I’m not a Division One coach. There are coaches for Division One, and I stand by my words. It’s goodbye to the PSL. I guess we learnt something, and we’ll come back stronger next time,” said Beefy.

Chegutu Pirates’ coach, Takaendesa Jongwe, echoed similar sentiments, noting that their PSL experience was a valuable lesson, and the team would re -group for future campaigns.

“We learnt our lessons and need to go back and regroup as a team. Hopefully, we’ll be back in the PSL next season. Our conversion rate was the major problem this season, which led to our downfall,” said Jongwe.

The match was played in front of a nearly empty Luveve Stadium, with many fans reserving their attention for the Highlanders’ Lynnoth Chikuhwa and Yadah’s Khama Billiat showdown for the Golden Boot award. The two players will meet at Barbourfields Stadium today for the final match of the season at Bulawayo’s ceremonial home of football.

Chikuhwa, known as Sonji to Bosso fans, leads with 16 goals, while Billiat has 13.