The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
CHICKEN Inn became Zimbabwe Premiership football champions following a 3-1 triumph over Harare City at Luveve Stadium last weekend.
The win saw the Gamecocks make history as they brought the trophy to Bulawayo, since 2006 when the league was won by Highlanders. Before then the trophy had found a “permanent’’ home in Harare with Dynamos, Monomotapa United, Gunners and Motor Action taking turns to make sure the trophy remained in Bambazonke.
Dynamos had been the title holders since 2011 but a win for Chicken Inn with one game to spare made sure that there was no last day drama which had characterised the four times that the Glamour Boys had clinched the title.
Coach Joey Antipas won the championship for the second time with a different club, his first being in 2010 with the now defunct Motor Action. However, Antipas said winning it with Chicken Inn was sweeter considering that the Gamecocks were not even being looked at as potential champions at the start of the season.
“It was good to win with Motor Action but better with Chicken Inn because we were not given a chance. For me it was also better because it was a second one with two different teams,’’ said Antipas.
Despite the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League not adding to the excitement by bringing the trophy to Luveve Stadium, Chicken Inn players, technical department, officials and fans burst into celebrations as soon as referee Thabani Bhamala blew his final whistle. FC Platinum had failed to pick up maximum points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Caps United at Mandava Stadium.
It has been an interesting ride, a 2015 league journey full of ups and downs for the Gamecocks. Chicken Inn climbed on top of the table in Week Six after a 1-0 win over How Mine at Luveve Stadium. A first half header from midfielder Tafadzwa Kutinyu was enough for the Gamecocks to triumph on a day skipper Danny Phiri was shown a red card by referee Hardly Ndazi for a second bookable offence.
For Chicken Inn to assume leadership of the 16 team log standings, Triangle had been beaten 1-0 by Flame Lily while Dynamos were held to a goalless draw by Harare City during that same weekend.
While the likes of Triangle, Dynamos as well as FC Platinum kept shuttling up and down trying to play catch up, Chicken Inn remained focussed.
There were setbacks for the Gamecocks on their way to glory as shown by the five defeats they suffered before sealing it last Saturday. Hwange defeated Chicken Inn by identical 1-0 scorelines home and away, Dynamos snatched a 1-0 win in Bulawayo in September, Harare City triumphed 2-0 in the capital and Caps United by the same margin in Harare.
As Chicken Inn looked to wrap up the title over the past few weeks, things did not seem to work out with one-all draws against FC Platinum, Whawha and Tsholotsho.
Prior to that, the Gamecocks had shown the mental strength to come from a goal down to overpower How Mine 2-1 at Luveve.
Phiri described winning the championship as being a massive achievement for him and his teammates. He was full of praise for coach Antipas for managing to put together a winning team.
“It is a big achievement for us after five years we have been in the league, the coach knew how to assemble a good team, since he got here the team has improved a lot. Hard work won it for us, in the second half of the season we won matches coming from behind. It was not easy getting points off those teams in the relegation zone but FC Platinum were also not playing well at the same time,’’ said Phiri.
Phiri is one of the six surviving members of the Chicken Inn side that made its maiden appearance in the PSL season in 2011.
The others are Thomas Chimenya, Thabani Goredema, Canaan Nkomo, Guide Goddard and Brian Mbiriri. Clemence Matawu, a leading light for the side through out the season, joined the club in 2013.
Brought to replace Mandla Mpofu towards the end of 2013, Mafero as Antipas is affectionately known, brought with him his assistant Prince Matore, who won the championship with Motor Action as a player. From the remnants of the 2010 Motor Action title winning team, he got Passmore Bernard and Bhekimpilo Ncube, who joined in from Highlanders.
Chicken Inn lost their star players Kudakwashe Mahachi and Tendai Ndoro who were signed up by South African clubs Mamelodi Sundowns and Mpumalanga Black Aces respectively. The reinforcements came in the form of the Bulawayo Chiefs duo of the impressive George Majika, Toto Banda, and Ishmael Lawe from Monomotapa United and Ben Nyahunzvi of Black Mambas.
For the current season came in strikers Edmore Chirambadare previously with Tsholotsho FC, Michelle Katsvairo formerly with FC Platinum and midfielder Tafadzwa Kutinyu from Bantu Rovers.
Released from last season’s team were striker Tendai Mukambi who joined Border Strikers while goalkeeper Liberty Chirava initially went to Highlanders and ended up with ZPC Kariba.
Antipas says he was building a championship winning team all along. He paid tribute to members of his technical team who have worked hard to land the title. The key for Chicken Inn according to Antipas was sticking together.
“This year it just happened, I knew I had a good squad, from day one we said we will challenge for honours which we did and eventually won. Credit must go to the technical set up of Prince Matore, Sikhumbuzo Banda and Julius Ndlovu. From day one, we emphasised on us being a family, we stuck together,’’ Antipas said.
Chicken Inn are still waiting for the club’s management to decide whether they will represent the country in the Confederation of African Football Champions League. As someone who had embarked on an African safari before, Antipas declared that he was ready for continental football.
With Motor Action, Antipas participated in the 2011 Champions League where they reached the second round. The following year after winning the
BancABC Sup8r and being runners up in the Mbada Diamonds Cup in 2011, the Mighty Bulls also bowed out at the same stage in the Caf Confederation Cup.
An ecstatic Chicken Inn secretary-general Tavengwa Hara said it was a fairy-tale that they managed to lift the country’s coveted PSL trophy.
“We never thought we would lift the league at the beginning of the season as we set our target as being in the top four, but as we were rebuilding from last year we saw signs of brilliance in the team, as we approached the end of the 2014 season, we could tell that our performance this year would be superb. It is tough luck to FC Platinum because I can say we are more of twins because we got promoted into the league in the same year and we were in the title fight together but we managed to pip them at the last minute,’’ said Hara.
“I am very happy for the boys particularly Danny ‘Deco’ Phiri and Edmore Chirambadare who were at the risk of being not considered for the soccer stars selection as they had both accumulated five yellow cards, I think in the last match we can relax and afford not to field them,” he added.
While Chicken Inn wrapped up the championship with a match to go last Saturday, they would be first to concede that it was no easy walk to glory.
