By Archford Chirimudombo
MARONDERA- The Zifa Mashonaland East Division 2 league season will be coming to a close in a few weeks’ time with three teams in contention for the sole automatic promotion spot into the Eastern Region Division 1 Soccer League.
FC Hunters bankrolled by successful farmer Andrew Gore remain the favourites considering the rich vein of form they are in but Kotwa United and Chivhu United also have mathematical chances of claiming the top gong.
Winning this championship has with it a ticket to join the Division 1 league teams from Mashonaland East, Masvingo and Manicaland and it remains to be seen if the team which will be eventually crowned provincial champions will have the pedigree to challenge the status quo in the eastern regional league.
In the years gone by, teams from Masvingo and Manicaland have been taking turns to be promoted into the country’s top-flight league at the expense of teams from Mashonaland East. Names of such teams that easily come to mind are Masvingo United, Triangle, Eastern Lions, Highway, Hippo Valley, Tenax Correctional Services, Buffaloes, Manica Diamonds and Mutare City Rovers, only to mention but a few.
Proprietors of FC Hunters, Chivhu United and Kotwa United are adamant that they will be ready to battle it out and emerge victorious in the Eastern region league but it seems as if they might suffer the same fate as those Mashonaland East teams that are in that league.
This season, Green Fuel from Manicaland were crowned ERSL champions and were promoted to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League where they will join other newcomers namely Hwange (Southern Region), Simba Bhora (Northern Region) and Sheasham (Central Region).
Under the tutelage of former Dynamos and Kiglon Bird coach Lloyd Mutasa, Green Fuel were too hot to handle for their rivals as they finished the league marathon without tasting defeat. They won 21 of the 28 matches they played – sharing the spoils with their opponents on seven occasions only.
Theirs were seemingly mighty performances and their unstoppable type of play mesmerised other contenders and Mashonaland East teams were caught in that football dilemma. Former premiership sides Mutare City Rovers and Masvingo United came out second and third respectively.
Mashonaland East’s best placed team in the Division 1 league was Ruwa Pro-Group who finished the season on sixth position and can be said to have given a good fight. In the entire season, they laboured for 41 points from a possible 72 while Surrey FC were on seventh with the same number of points.
Other teams that did duty for the province in the league are FC Wangu Mazodze, Grayham, JMBusha 54 and Melfort. They failed in their bid to bring the ERD1 crown to Mashonaland East and it remains to be seen if the new kid that will come on the block – be it FC Hunters, Chivhu Stars or Kotwa United – break the jinx.
Respected coach Naison ‘Rover’ Mukandiona said the teams that compete in the league must be well-resourced so that they rope in experienced technical members of staff and players.
“I have a feeling that any team from Mashonaland East can win the Division 1 league provided they apply the right attitude. With coaches who know their stuff and players with experience, nothing is impossible. Look at what Lloyd Mutasa has done at Green Fuel.
“There is room for improvement on the part of our teams in that league and the experience they are getting will come in handy one day,” Rover said.
