Chicken Inn 3-0 Highlanders

BULAWAYO – Winless Highlanders slumped to their third defeat in seven matches on Saturday – their worst start since 1971, and coach Madinda Ndlovu admitted he was not sure if the players can turn it around.

Chicken Inn soared to the top of the league table with a demolition job on their city rivals, leaving Highlanders as only one of two teams still to win this season. Highlanders are second from the bottom of the table, which is anchored by Bulawayo Chiefs who picked their first point of the season on the road to Harare City on Saturday.

“I cannot tell if any change can happen any minute, in terms of the performance. If we go by the performance today, I don’t think there is anything that I would promise anyone in the next coming games,” a resigned Ndlovu said after the match.

Asked if he was “giving up”, the under-fire coach said: “It’s just a statement as it comes. No further comment to that. It’s just as it is.”

Chicken Inn were ahead after 26 minutes when Bret Amidu fired past Ariel Sibanda from a free-kick, awarded after Andrew Mbeba fouled Clive Agusto.

Agusto turned scorer seven minutes from the break after outpacing the Highlanders defence before finding his mark past Sibanda.

The second goal led to a seven-minute stoppage as Highlanders fans in the Soweto end threw plastic water and beer bottles onto the pitch. Police were forced to use dogs to drive some fans off the pitch.

The fans were complaining that Agusto looked suspiciously offside when receiving the ball.

Chicken Inn killed off the match as a contest in the time added on in the first half when Amidu reacted quickest to a loose ball, and Highlanders never looked like they would score.

Highlanders club president Ndumiso Gumede summed up the crisis facing the club on Twitter: “Highlanders lost 3-0 to Chicken Inn and are now position 17 (last but one) on the log. This is the worst start since 1971.”

It remains unclear if the club will stick with Ndlovu much longer. They host Herentals, travel to TelOne in Gweru before entertaining ZPC Kariba at Barbourfields in their next three fixtures.

Ndlovu said he felt his players carried “defeated minds” once the first goal went in.

He said: “We started off very strong, we started off very well. We conceded the first goal against the showing that we were putting. That goal dismantled the whole game. We did not really match Chicken Inn man for man, the reaction was very, very slow for the team.

“Attempts at goal were very, very poor. By the time we tried to change the system, our players had already given up, their minds were already defeated minds. It’s a pity to say that such kind of a performance is not what is expected of Highlanders players. If you are a Highlanders player you need to live up to the name, and the size of the club. That didn’t happen today.”

Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Results

Saturday

Chicken Inn 3-0 Highlanders; ZPC Kariba 1-0 Ngezi Platinum; Harare City 0-0 Bulawayo Chiefs; Mushowani Stars 2-0 Black Rhinos