Hwange demolish Shooting Stars

Hwange..............(3) 5
Shooting Stars...(1) 2

RELEGATION stalked Shooting Stars inched closer to the season-end doomsday after sweating in vain at the Colliery Stadium yesterday to leave their breath in the Premiership running short of oxygen.

The game had to be rescheduled after the Wild Boys failed to travel to Hwange last Sunday after they reportedly had a breakdown between Kwekwe and Gweru, though reports later indicated that the team did not even set a foot out of the capital due to financial constraints. The second bite of the cherry could not redeem the visitors as the burden proved too heavy for assistant coach Brian Mukundu, who was thrown into the deep end after head coach Lazarus Magaya could not make the trip as he was attending to some family matters in Masvingo.

Chipangano almost raced into the lead in the first minute through defender David Boriwondo's cheeky scissors kick before goal poacher Simon Njeleza put Hwange into the lead as early as the third after he connected a Forune "Fokoza" Ncube corner kick.

Again Ncube was the toast of the day yesterday as he went on to create two more goals. After the goal the hosts slept on duty up to the 10th minute when Shooting Stars grabbed the equaliser through the boot of Amon Mudukuti, who was at the end of some nice exchanges between James Chitereki and Raymond Nyangoni.

Chipangano then switched back to urgency mode with Ncube whipping a defence splitting cross which found no takers on the quarter hour mark. Gilbert Zulu followed that up with a glancing header which ricocheted off the crossbar with Stars goalie Pedzisayi Gumhiremhete a mere spectator.

The goalminder, however, saved his side the blushes in the 32nd minute when he went airborne to parry a Rodwell Chinyengetere screamer from inside the box for a corner.

The Wild Boys had begun to fancy their chances with some nice attacking football revolving around Samuel Gadzikwa before their world crushed around them in a two-minute spell that left them stunned, thanks to another Ncube awesome piece of creativity.

In the 43rd minute he picked up a loose ball deep in the visitors' half before embarking on a mazy run on the right before chipping the ball into the box which Boriwondo met with a flashing header which beat Gumiremhete all systems down.

On the stroke of half time Ncube returned to haunt the Wild Boys.

He took over a move inititated by Zulu again on the right flank after the striker had been fouled by a defender, and with the referee Bekezela Makeka having rightly played the advantage, Ncube sliced past two defenders and laid a sitter for Njeleza to grab his brace with an easy tap.

Then came the time for drama in the 52nd minute when Hwange defender Maxwell Chipunza miscued his clearance by powering a header into his own nets past a surprised Timothy Sibanda to give the Wild Boys some faint hopes.

However, Gilbert Zulu calmed the nerves of coach Tennant Chilumba and company hardly two minutes later when he coolly headed home a marvellous cross from outstanding defender John Kapenya.
It was game over for the Harare side in the 68th minute when defender Boriwondo proved why he is a strong contender for Soccer Star of the Year finalists with Ncube by claiming a rare brace with a hard and low shot from a crowded box.

While the Wild Boys remain rooted on 26 points and with some 270 minutes of football action left this year, the coalminers' sweet victory stoked the fires ahead of their clash with Monomotapa this Saturday, as the two sides are tied on 44 points and both fiercely grappling for a remarkable top four finish.

Chilumba, now christened "Zambia Special" in the coal mining town, was modest after the game and ahead of the remaining games.

Teams:
Hwange: T Sibanda, M Chipunza, J Kapenya, D Boriwondo, G Ndlovu, A Tshuma, F Ncube, N Tshuma, G Zulu (N Phakathi 89th minute), S Njeleza (T Mamina 89th minute), R Chinyengetere ( N Siwela 76th minute)

Shooting Stars: P Gumhiremhete, S Munawa, T Chiworeso, E Chimusoro, F Chindungwe(M Tafirenyika 55th minute), R Nyangoni, M Muneri, S Gadzikwa, E Matsika , J Chitereki, A Mudukuti (K Mawire)