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Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter

WITH their Castle Lager Premiership championship hopes having taken a serious knock in the past two weeks, Chicken Inn today once again make the long trip to Rusape for a date against unpredictable Manica Diamonds tomorrow afternoon at Vengere Stadium.

Chicken Inn, who up to now had been viewed as top challengers for the title, have been dropping crucial points with each passing game and they go into tomorrow’s match as a bruised lot. They are smarting from a 1-2 home defeat at the hands of Ngezi Platinum Stars.

The gap between them and log leaders FC Platinum is now 13 points and in their quest to finally end the seven-year crusade to re-establish their place at the top of Castle Lager league, the 2015 league champions will be out to break this season’s two-game Vengere Stadium jinx.

At the venue, Gamecocks have previously lost twice at the hands of Tenax CS (1-0) and Black Rhinos (2-1), a development that compelled their veteran gaffer Joey Antipas to openly raise his concern over the state of the pitch, citing that it is “hard”, “bumpy” and not ideal to host the country’s elite football matches.

However, Antipas and his men, who did their final work at Bulawayo Chiefs Village (formerly Amazulu Sports Club) on Sunday morning, will tomorrow find themselves at the same stadium.

They will go into the match with a fresh injury blow to their already depleted defensive ranks. New combative acquisition Vincent Moyo is a major doubt for their clash against Manica Diamonds.

Also doubtful is veteran captain and defensive pillar Moses Jackson, who in the last few days has been attending a Zifa Level One coaching course alongside his teammates Guide Goddard, Sam Mafukidze, goalkeepers’ manager Energy Murambadoro and club secretary general Tavengwa Hara.

Energy Murambadoro

Gamecocks vice-captain Passmore Bernard is suspended for their forthcoming tie after accumulating three yellow cards and this will be a major blow to the former league champions

In the past few games, workaholic Neilson Ketala and towering Itai Mabunu had to sit out owing to injury.

No wonder Antipas reckoned: “The defence is letting us down for some games now. We have been chopping and changing due to suspensions and injuries. We cannot play with a similar back four for consecutive games.”

When the season started, the Gamecocks had a back three, consisting of Mabunu, Jackson and Ketala. The wingbacks were Xolani Ndlovu on the left and the injured Michael Charamba on the right. -@FungaiMuderere