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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO City FC are not panicking yet although they have gone for five Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matches without a win.

City’s last victory was on April 14 when they beat Shabanie Mine 2-0 at Maglas Stadium on Match Day Three.

The five-match winless streak for City has seen the club, which started the season on a promising note, sliding down the league table to 12th position with eight points.

At the weekend, City lost 0-1 at home to Black Rhinos, a result that left coach Mandla Mpofu baffled about match officiating.

Harare-based referee Nomore Musundire awarded Rhinos, who are now third on the table, a penalty which City felt was harsh.

“Unfortunately I’m not qualified to comment on referees, but at times I feel there is a need for relevant authorities to do something about match officiating. I appreciate that referees are human beings and make mistakes, but their errors cost us. Look, we lost three points because of a questionable decision, but hey we’re a small team and no one hears our cries,” said Mpofu.

Before losing to Rhinos, City had lost consecutive matches to ZPC Kariba (2-0) and Triangle United (2-1) and played to draws against Harare City and FC Platinum.

Mpofu believes they have capable players that can turnaround their fortunes and fight for a respectable finish on the Premiership table.

“I think it’s too early to panic because there are 26 more games to play and going through a dry spell is part of the game. What is important is how we apply ourselves in our next encounter. We also need to work on finishing the chances we create. Going forward, I’m positive that this group of excellent players will come to the party and get us the desired results,” said Mpofu.

While City are looking for a breakthrough, neighbours How Mine are enjoying a good spell and at the weekend extended their unbeaten run to five matches following a 0-0 draw against FC Platinum.

How Mine are fourth on the Premiership table with 14 points from eight games and trail leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars by two points.

How Mine coach Kelvin Kaindu should be enjoying his team’s steady rise following a bad start to the season where they only managed to pick a point in their opening three matches.

The gold miners started the season with a 1-0 away loss to ZPC Kariba before playing to a 1-1 draw against Tsholotsho. How Mine lost their third game 2-0 away to Ngezi Platinum and got it right on the fourth match of the season when they beat Chapungu 2-1.

That victory was followed by identical 1-0 wins against Dynamos, Bantu Rovers and Chicken Inn.

Chicken Inn, the 2015 champions, bounced back to winning ways after the How Mine loss to brand new boys Yadah FC their third loss of the season.

Chicken Inn, who take on FC Platinum at Luveve Stadium tomorrow, beat Yadah FC 1-0 in Harare on Saturday.

The Gamecocks, seventh on the table with 12 points can leapfrog FC Platinum, who are sixth, in the event that they win tomorrow’s game.

Chicken Inn have not won a game at home this season, losing by identical 1-0 score lines to Rhinos and How Mine.

The only victory they registered at Luveve Stadium this season was on Match Day One when they clobbered Bantu Rovers 5-0 and Chicken Inn were away on that day.

Rescheduled Match Day Three Fixtures

Wednesday, May 17: Harare City v Highlanders (National Sports Stadium), Chicken Inn v FC Platinum (Luveve)

Thursday, May 18: Dynamos v Black Rhinos (National Sports Stadium), ZPC Kariba v Caps United (Nyamhunga)

Match Day Eight Results

Saturday: How Mine 0-0 FC Platinum, Bulawayo City 0-1 Black Rhinos, ZPC Kariba 2-0 Tsholotsho FC, Yadah FC 0-1 Chicken Inn

Sunday: Hwange 0-0 Triangle United, Shabanie Mine 0-0 Chapungu, Harare City 0-1 Ngezi Platinum, Highlanders 1-1 Dynamos (match abandoned), Caps United v Bantu Rovers (Postponed)

Table

P    W    D    L    GF    GA    GD    Pts
Ngezi Platinum    8    5    1    2    10    4    6    16
ZPC Kariba    7    5    0    2    10    5    5    15
Black Rhinos    7    4    2    1    7    2    5    14
How Mine8    4    2    2    6    5    1    14
*Highlanders    6    4    1    1    8    4    4    13
FC Platinum    7    3    4    0    6    3    3    13
Chicken Inn    7    4    0    3    9    4    5    12
Caps United    5    2    3    0    9    4    5    9
Shabanie Mine    8    2    3    3    3    5    -2    9
Yadah FC    8    2    3    3    5    10    -5    9
Triangle United    8    1    5    2    5    6    -1    8
Bulawayo City    8    2    2    4    6    9    -3    8
Hwange    8    2    2    4    5    9    -4    8
*Dynamos    5    2    1    2    4    4    0    7
Harare City    7    1    3    3    2    4    -2    6
Bantu Rovers    7    2    0    5    12    17    -5    6
Tsholotsho FC    8    0    4    4    3    8    -5    4
Chapungu    8    0    4    4    3    10    -7    4
*Match abandoned waiting for PSL decision.

@ZililoR