The Sunday News
Noel Munzabwa
IT had been anticipated that the Zifa Southern Region Division One league’s twists and turns were not over until the final whistle that even the journalism industry would be forgiven to suggest that everyone experienced the goosebumps caused by the knife edge of the turns.
Had it been a script written in another part of the world many could be forgiven for believing it could have been a hidden chapter somewhere between the read in Charles Dickens’ 1837 blockbustre Oliver Twists but alas it was Johannes Ngodzo’s script to fame as a coach.
This campaign will go down as the most entertaining one in the history with probably the drama of 2012 comes closer. How Mine won the ticket to the Premiership when they beat Black Boots 1-0 in Fairbridge on a day Bantu Rovers suffered a 1-0 shock home defeat to lowly Hwange-based Rufaro Rovers on November 24, 2012.
On that day former Premiership side Bantu Rovers needed an outright win over Rufaro Rovers, who were bound to Division Two, and the Hwange side survived the chop which claimed another former top side Zimbabwe Saints.
In a stuck reminder of crazy football gods and their funny scripts littered with vast dangers posed by relegation threatened teams to championship glory, Ntabazinduna stung surprised Bulawayo Chiefs to a 1-1 draw as Bantu Rovers pipped Amagagasi 1-0 in Victoria Falls.
Thrilling were the thrills and spills of the season with the favourites tag swinging exchangeably between Amagagasi, Bantu Rovers and Bulawayo Chiefs, and at one time ZPC Hwange popping through into the picture.
Even the closing half hour of the race saw seat edge sitting, adrenaline pumping and blood pressure raising with news of a Bantu goal in the resort town, to a Ntabazinduna opener, to a Bulawayo Chiefs equaliser, to final whistles to the two matches that were being 460kms apart.
While Bantu Rovers will be celebrating winning the 2016 Southern Region Division One championship, somewhere, and indeed somewhere in that script, forgive me if it can’t be seen by a public eye, let me avail it to you — Ngodzo denied Bulawayo Chiefs’ Thulani Sibanda a hat-trick of titles in this league.
Having won his first Southern Region first division championship medal with Quelaton in 2011 before earning his second with Plumtree Chiefs (now Bulawayo Chiefs), Sibanda seemed heads favourite to complete a hat-trick but in a true spirit of Fair Play, the Ntabazinduna wall to glory needed to be cleared.
Chiefs led by Bantu Rovers two points going into the last sun downer program and indeed it all seemed into cruise gear for that hat-trick that could have seen Sibanda join the class that has the late Lindile Dube topping.
Dube won his first in 2003 with Railstars, guiding Zimbabwe Saints to 2005 Southern Region glory before completing the hat-trick with Underhill in 2007.
For now, Sibanda will live to fight it out another season but Ngodzo will be celebrating his way into the coaching fame and only a diabolic miracle will stop him from claiming the region’s Coach of the Year accolade.
Meanwhile, Bantu Rovers dominate the statistics table. They topped the away record with 33 points, an eight-point gap over joint second Bulawayo City and ZPC Hwange with Amagagasi managing 23 points on the road. Chiefs were best home performers picking 39 points — four more than Amagagasi. Champions Rovers picked 31 points with ZPC Hwange picking 30 points.
Bantu had the sharpest strikeforce scoring 49 and was complemented by the toughest backline which was only breached 14 times. They also had the joint second biggest winning margin a 5-0 win over Hwange U20. The biggest winning margin was ZRP Bulawayo’s 6-0 win over hapless Victoria Falls Tigers.
However, that Rovers win on the 29th of September was the biggest away win of the season and it goes without saying ZRP Bulawayo’s massive win a fortnight ago was the season’s biggest home victory.
Despite murmurs against referees, recorded assaults and sprint chases on referees, credit must be given to the teams for ensuring matches are played the full 90 minutes in those both teams turned up with no premature endings recorded.
Shabanie Mine, the seventh Central Region wonder
The seventh Central Soccer League (Zifa Central Region Division One) may have suffered an early withdrawal of Havane Sharks and Mvuma Stars and the back and forth ZRB Beitbridge participation but that would not be enough to stop Shabanie Mine from becoming the league’s seventh wonder.
Coincidentally the seventh season saw the Zvishavane miners become the seventh champions after FC Platinum (2010), Hardbody (2011), Tripple B (2012), Chapungu (2013), Whawha (2014) and Border Strikers last year, winning by four points.
Coach Tendai Chikuni became the seventh coach to win the championship after Jairos Tapera, Tavaka Gumbo, Friday Phiri, John Nyikadzino, Luke Petros Jukulile and Never Malunga with Shabanie Mine being best both home and away with 40 and 29 points respectively.
The home performance was joint best with Blanket Mine with their only defeat being a 0-1 defeat to Nichrut in Week 11 on the 26th of June though they successfully revenged by the same scoreline in the drama-filled reverse fixture in Shurugwi on the 4th of September.
Ivan Hoe were the only team that never lost at home with Gweru United failing to pick not even a point on the road.
Nichrut’s 5-0 win over Kwekwe Sables on the 17th of April was the biggest winning margin, with Ivan Hoe and Blanket Mine the best scorers with 46 goals, and Shabanie Mine had the best defence conceding 11.
Gweru United had the poorest strike force and defence scoring 13 and conceding 60 with the Blanket Mine versus Nichrut match being the only prematurely ended match in the season in which the disciplinary committee was kept busy with matters involving violence.
No doubt soccer is loved in Zvishavane, though figures have not been availed, Maglas Stadium witnessed the highest attendance.
ZRP Beitbridge provided the most controversial moments voluntarily withdrawing before applying for re-admission before being expelled after failing to fulfil matches after readmission something that made other teams it was highly unfair to title contenders and relegation threatened teams.
But the biggest question the Stanley Chapeta led board will no doubt field at the next annual general meeting will be centred on the pre-election promised sponsorship which never saw light.
@NoelMunzabwa
Southern Region winning coaches since 2003
2003 – Lindile Dube Railstars
2004 – Benjamin Moyo Chapungu
2005 – Lindile Dube Zimbabwe Saints
2006 – Joe Mhizha Njube Sundowns
2007 – Lindile Dube Underhill
2008 – Nation Dube Hwange
2009 – John Phiri Shabanie Mine
2010 – Philani Ncube Chicken Inn
2011 – Thulani Sibanda Quelaton
2012 – Usheunesu Chaka How Mine
2013 – Thulani Sibanda Plumtree Chiefs
2014 – Lizwe Sweswe Tsholotsho FC
2015 – Philani Ncube Bulawayo City
2016 – Johannes Ngozo Bantu Rovers
Central Soccer League championship winning coaches since formation
2010 – Jairos Tapera FC Platinum (then Mimosa)
2011 – Tavaka Gumbo Hardbody
2012 – Friday Phiri Tripple B
2013 – John Nyikadzino Chapungu
2014 – Luke Petros Jukulule Whawha FC
2015 – Never Malunga Border Strikers
2016 – Tendai Chikuni Shabanie Mine
