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Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter

CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League 2021/2022 season first runners-up Chicken Inn are tonight set to hold their awards ceremony where they will honour players who had an outstanding show in the just concluded campaign.

For the greater part of the season, the Gamecocks looked well on course to clinch the 2021/202 coveted title only to run out of steam that saw them lose the country’s local football top prize to now four-time league champions FC Platinum.

The 2015 league champions ended up as bridesmaids to FC Platinum who accumulated a total of 75 points, 12 ahead of them. Chicken Inn’s campaign came off the rails when they fell 3-0 at home to FC Platinum to surrender their impressive lead on the log table to the Zvishavane-based side.

In the same period, Joey Antipas’ men fell victim to Dynamos by an identical score line in a match that was played at Barbourfields Stadium.

Had they won the league title, Gamecocks sponsors, Simbisa Brands, had tabled a  US$150 000 incentive that was going to be shared by the club’s players and officials.

Club chairman, Juta Tshuma said they will hold the awards function as a way of motivating their players and cultivating a spirit of togetherness as they hope for another polished performance next season.

“Through the awards ceremony, we want to acknowledge the good performance that some of our players put to get us where we ended. We might not have won the championship but to finish in position two is not a mean achievement.

“Through the awards ceremony, we want to motivate the whole family. I would also like to boast that finishing in position two, above teams like Highlanders and Dynamos, it’s worth celebrating. These are clubs that have lots of followers and rich history.

However, we managed to do well compared to them,” said Tshuma.

He added: “Well, it’s known that had the team finished on position one, our sponsors Simbisa Brands had promised to give them a US$150 000 bonus. It was all in a way of seeking to motivate the players.

Now that the truth is we finished the second-best club more than three times, missing out on the coveted title after a good performance, we have decided to celebrate with the boys through the awards night. We have learnt from our mistakes and we will have to further engage our players to keep the same promise of winning the league come next season.”

At the function that will be held in Bulawayo, there will be awards for Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season, Goal of the Season, Most Disciplined Player and Most Improved Player.

Stocky forward Brian Muza, who finished with 11 goals under his belt, goalkeeper and Donovan Bernard, who finished the season with 18 clean sheets from 31 games are front runners for the Player of the Season accolade.

Solid and young utility player Arthur Chinda, who was able to replace seasoned players that included roving Passmore Bernard, combative Richard Chiro and diminutive Clive “Gringo” Dzingai among others when they were on the sidelines and former Zimbabwe youth international Munashe Pini are heavily tipped to be named Young Player of the Season.

Courtesy of his trademark thunderbolts that saw him score crucial goals for Chicken Inn, pacey and skilful midfielder Bret Amidu and lanky forward Malvin Hwata are in the running for the Goal of the Season reward.

The reserved duo of Hachiro and Dzingai, Tshabalala-bred Shepherd Mhlanga and seasoned club captain Moses Jackson are among the top contenders for the Most Disciplined Player award.

Mhlanga, towering central defender Itai Mabunu, Xolani “Lolo” Ndlovu, who has been the club’s stand-in captain the absence of Xolani Ndlovu, winger Malvin Gaki and Donovan are some of the players that are set to seat on the edges of their seats in anticipation of the Most Improved Player prize. – @FungaiMuderere