Countdown for Manica Diamonds

21 Sep, 2018 - 00:09 0 Views

The ManicaPost

Ray Bande Senior Reporter

CASTLE Lager Premiership-bound Manica Diamonds are only five weeks away from popping champagne bottles and secure a place in the 2019 domestic top flight league season.

Given that there are nine matches before the curtain comes down on the 2018 season of the Eastern Region Division One League, the Luke Masomere-coached outfit only need to win their next five matches to leave then with an unassailable 15 points lead at the summit of the log standings.

There is a total of 27 points to play for in the remaining nine matches and the Gem Boys are currently leading the log standings with a massive 15 points gap between them and second placed correctional services side Tenax.

Mathematically, that means if Manica Diamonds wins their next five matches they will maintain their 15 points lead and even if they go on to lose the remaining four matches by then, no team will be able to surpass their 72 points tally.

Even though they have not really been playing exciting football on the field of play, to their credit Manica Diamonds have managed to grind results and won every other match they have played so far save for the three matches that ended in stalemate.

Workaholic Manica Diamonds’ team manager Ticha Zikai said they are not reading too much into the number of matches played or the ones to be played, instead they just want to keep collecting points until the end of the season.

“We are not really worried about how other teams play or the mathematics around the title race.

“All we want is to keep collecting points as we go.

“We are running our own race and hopefully we will be able to achieve our goals.

“We are actually preparing for next season as a team,” he said.

Manica Diamonds’ boss Masimba Chihowa, a former FIFA Panel match official, is on record saying his team will break the jinx of failure on continental club football competitions upon promotion into the top flight league.

The Chancellor Junior school head said this while addressing the media at the unveiling of the club’s executive at a local hotel recently.

“We have a great vision. All things being equal we want to be the leading team in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world. We will be very excited as a club to be the first team to conquer Africa within a short space of time,” he said.

Chihowa added that they are already planning for life in the top flight league and they also want to attract players who trace their roots to Manicaland.

“I personally have been part of the famous group of the Tanganda group that played very well.

“During that time they had a vibrant project which brought in all the players who had played in Manicaland. All the players came back because it was a good project. I still believe that the project that we are working on we will attract all the players from Manicaland will join the club,” he said.

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