Caps United to 'relocate' to Bulawayo

BRUISED Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions Caps United might be forced to temporarily relocate to Bulawayo as they play catch up.

Caps will play four matches in Bulawayo starting this afternoon against Bulawayo City at Hartsfield Ground. They will return for another duel with table anchors Bantu Rovers on Saturday before taking on stuttering Highlanders on Wednesday and winding up their tour of the city with a clash against table toppers Chicken Inn at the same venue.

Unless they use a chartered plane, travelling to and from Harare might prove catastrophic for the Green Machine and temporarily shifting base to Bulawayo would be economical.

However, Caps' chief executive officer Cuthbert Chitima said their only confirmed fixtures were against City and Rovers, and they had only planned to be in Bulawayo up to Saturday.

"We will stay in Bulawayo up to Saturday, as these are the only confirmed fixtures so far," said Chitima.

The Green Machine come to Bulawayo against the backdrop of a 0-2 defeat to resurrected former champions Dynamos in a Harare derby on Sunday.

The Glamour Boys cruised past their Harare rivals through a brace by Cameroonian Christian Epoupa, a day after City bagged maximum points against ZPC Kariba following a 3-2 win at Hartsfield Grounds.

This afternoon's encounter is expected to be full of thrills and spills and City coach Mandla Mpofu says his charges are ready for the champions and are not reading much into their loss to Dynamos.

"The boys worked hard for maximum points and we need nothing less than three points against Caps. Winning or losing to Dynamos will not change Caps. They have always been a dangerous team and we need to double our efforts if we are to win this game, but we are ready as I said," said Mpofu.

Makepekepe are three points off the relegation zone and would not want to drop more points, while Amakhosi, as City call themselves, could storm into the top eight with a win this afternoon.

Caps assistant coach Fungai Tostao Kwashi said the defeat by Dynamos was now water under the bridge.

"This game is water under the bridge; it wasn't our day, but we cannot keep crying and mourning and giving excuses, we just have to soldier on as men and look forward to the next encounters and quickly erase this off our minds. Yes, as much as it hurts, we have to stay positive, keep working hard and running our race. We hope to work hard, it is going to be a tough battle, there are no easy teams at all," Kwashi told our Harare Bureau

Chief striker Dominic Chungwa, who sat out Sunday's game through suspension, is back for today's encounter

"The Champions' League made us lose quality players in Ronald Chitiyo and Abbas Amidu. The Champions League took part of our attack, but we just have to keep soldiering on with the strikers we have. John (Zhuwawu) and Chungwa have been doing well, Chidi (Abasirim) came in and I thought he had a decent performance with more service, I think he will come up well."

Lack of consistency has been City's biggest disease this season and the sooner they discard that demon the better for them.