Chicken Inn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

FC Platinum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) 1

FC PLATINUM shot back to the apex of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with a victory over defending champions Chicken Inn at White City Stadium, but their coach Norman Mapeza insists the show ain’t over ‘til the fat ladyt sings.

“What is important right now is not being at the top with the first half of the season gone, it’s all about picking up points and seeing where that will take us,” said the gaffer, after watching Winston Mhango scoring the winner in the 43rd minute.

With 33 points in the bag, FC Platinum have had their best ever start to a league campaign since their debut in 2011.

Regardless, Mapeza predicted that this year’s title’s tussle would be the toughest in recent memory.

“If you look at last season at this stage, Chicken Inn had 31 points and looked like they were already running away with it but this term a number of teams are close up there. That shows you the difference in competition levels, this year I think it is going to be tougher and more exciting because any team from position six upwards has a bright chance of winning the championship.

“Anything can happen in the home run but normally I wouldn’t want to talk about what might happen in December now. But remember also that we were nine points behind Chicken Inn at the halfway stage last season but we ended up challenging strongly,” he said.

Dutchman Erol Akbay is living a dream at Highlanders, having racked up 30 points from 14 matches, a record that has been bettered once – in 2012 – since their last league triumph in 2006 under Methembe Ndlovu.

The Bosso Class of 2012 was the only one to reach 30 points after 14 matches since Ndlovu led them to 12 wins, a draw and a 0-1 loss at home to the now defunct Caps FC back in their title wining campaign of 2006.

But with seven-goal hero and star of the first half Bruce Kangwa angling for an exit, coupled with the already confirmed departure of Knox Mutizwa, Bosso will need new fire power.

For Akbay, the challenge in the second half is to respond to the departure of key players for greener pastures.

“We are victims of the hard work we put in the first half,” said the Dutchman. “Everybody is now hunting for our players so I think our success will be determined by our ability to respond to these departures.

“For your own information my contract only requires that I finish in the top four but if the title is available I will take it because I am a winner by nature and number one is still among the top four.”

Caps United are gorgeously placed third, four points off the leaders, but their fans’ failure to stand by their heroes at such a crucial point could spoil what has been a promising season thus far.

Despite his 29-point haul from 14 matches, a mark which Makepekepe have failed to reach over the past six seasons, coach Lloyd Chitembwe is the victim of regular abuse from fans.

Reports that the club is struggling to honour its obligations to players do not augur well for a championship charge.

The usual suspects, Dynamos, have found their rhythm under Lloyd Mutasa after a disastrous start to the campaign under Portuguese coach Paulo Silva.

Mutasa’s men go into the break on a fine run, having not tasted defeat in their last seven matches.

The return of 23-year-old 2012 Castle Soccer Star of the Year Denver Mukamba, coupled with the imminent arrival of Young Warriors skipper Wisdom Mutasa, is giving the Harare giants belief that they can win it all.

While FC Platinum will face some taxing away trips, DeMbare will play nine of their remaining 15 fixtures in the capital and that could prove to be a very big advantage in the run-in.

However, Mutasa is playing down any premature excitement.

“It’s important that we get as many points as possible in the second half and avoid mourning over a poor start which we can’t change now,” said the DeMbare gaffer. “We are welcoming new playing personnel and I have no doubt it will be an interesting second half especially against the background of a good run of form we are currently enjoying.

“Playing in Harare nine times out of 15 will obviously give us an advantage but it is also important to note that being a big institution we are always at home in any part of the country,” he said.

While focus will be on who will be crowned champions at the end of the season, basement club Border Strikers, with the least number of wins at two, look like they will need a miracle to avoid one of the two relegation slots.

The other slot is likely to be a slug fest between debutants Mutare City, who are on 10 points, and 14th placed Tsholotsho who are on 11 points.