MARONDERA- Football fans in Marondera last week braved the chilly weather and
thronged the province’s ceremonial home of football, Rudhaka Stadium to witness an
exciting Eastern Region Soccer League (ERSL)match between team of the moment,
FC Hunters and former Castle Lager Premier Soccer League side Mutare City.
The match ended in a goalless draw.
It was a point gained for the home side which is now slowly moving up the ladder
with exciting performances in recent weeks while it was two points lost for Mutare
City as the result put a dent in their quest to finish the season in the top four.
The match kicked off at a thrilling pace with the Clever Boys, FC Hunters dominating
early exchanges but could not convert their chances into goals.
Mutare City did not sit back despite the attacks and had their fair chances at goal but
their efforts were frustrated by goal-minder Lanas "Chigure" Mapotso who was in a
no-nonsense mood.
The ERSL is made up of teams drawn from Manicaland, Masvingo and
Mashonaland East provinces and the winners will earn the automatic ticket to join
the Castle Lager Premier League and rub shoulders with the best teams in the
country among them Harare giants Dynamos, Highlanders, CAPS United and FC
Platinum.
Last season, the regional championship was clinched by Green Fuel who are
proving to be no pushovers in the top-flight league.
With the season set for the home stretch, all the top four teams were, at the time of
writing, still in with a chance to win the ERSL title.
However, log leaders FC Wangu Mazodze (51 points) and second-placed Bikita
Minerals (50 points) were in the driving seat while third and fourth-placed Tenax FC
and Rusitu Tigers were within shouting distance and cannot be ruled out of the
championship equation.
FC Hunters who were on 7 th position with 30 points at the time of writing are the best
performing team from Mashonaland East in the league.