WITH 33 points still up for the taking, the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title remains there for anyone’s taking.
The race to the title is heating up and none of the top sides can afford any slackening at this stage.
One or two missteps could see a team fall out of the race.
Ngezi Platinum Stars are in control of the proceedings with 45 points from 23 games.
Highlanders occupy second place with 44 points from 22 games.
The game in hand for Highlanders is the abandoned clash with Dynamos two Sundays ago after the match ended prematurely with the Harare team which was at home leading 2-0.
Not far from the leaders is Manica Diamonds in third place and Chicken Inn in fourth.
Manica Diamonds are just three points behind Ngezi Platinum while Chicken Inn are eight points adrift of the leaders.
FC Platinum who have the same number of points as the Gamecocks and Dynamos who are a point behind the defending champions are all in the title mix.
At this point, the league appears to be headed for a photo finish.
Manica Diamonds coach Jairos Tapera played down his side’s chances of shocking everyone else and winning the title.
It could be the first time that a team from Manicaland wins the league title.
“It’s a surprise to us that we find ourselves in the position we are in. We are just playing our games and not thinking about winning the league. If it happens we will take it.
“Yes people are placing us in the title matrix but that is far from our thoughts right now. If you look at the table, the points difference is tight meaning anyone can win it. One thing that we cannot afford as Manica Diamonds is to slip outside the top four,” said Tapera.
Chicken Inn coach Prince Matore says the league has reached an exciting stage.
“It’s exciting because most of the top five teams are still to play each other. Right now, it’s difficult to predict anything because we still have some distance to cover. At this stage what is important is consistency in winning matches,” said Matore.
At the bottom end of things, things are not looking good for army sides Black Rhinos and Cranborne Bullets who occupy the last two positions at the bottom of the table.
Black Rhinos have managed to attain a paltry 17 points this season, one ahead of Cranborne Bullets.
Gweru-based side Sheasham occupy the last relegation slot with 23 points. Only a single point separates the Premiership newboys with Triangle and Yadah who are also treading on dangerous grounds.
Log Standings
Club P W D L F A Pts
Ngezi 23 13 6 4 31 15 45
Highlanders 22 12 8 2 18 8 44
Manica 23 12 6 5 30 13 42
Chicken Inn 23 9 10 4 23 16 37
Fc Platinum 23 10 7 6 24 19 37
Dynamos 22 9 9 4 26 10 36
Herentals 23 9 8 6 26 22 35
Chiefs 23 7 8 8 27 26 29
Greenfuel 23 8 5 10 18 23 29
Hwange 23 7 7 9 18 20 28
Caps United 23 6 9 8 20 19 27
Zpc Kariba 23 7 6 10 14 26 27
Simba Bhora 23 5 11 7 16 17 26
Triangle 23 4 12 7 15 24 24
Yadah 23 7 3 13 17 31 24
Sheasham 23 4 11 8 10 22 23
Cranborne 23 4 6 13 11 21 18
Rhinos 23 3 8 12 13 25 17
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