Jame West Fc one foot into ZIFA Central Region D 1 League

By Delicious Mathuthu

Mberengwa based Jame West Football Club is one foot into Zimbabwe’s second tier, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Central Region Division 1, football league as they lead the Midlands Division 2A league with a nine point gap with only two games remaining for the side.

Based in the Midlands District of Mberengwa, which is largely rural, Jame West increased their chances of promotion after beating fourth placed 13 Stars FC 2-1 in a tightly contested match at the Mkoba Polyclinic grounds in Gweru over the weekend.

The two teams also had their players, Tadiwa Mugara and Njabulo Phiri awarded best goal keeper and top goal scorer respectively, for the month of September in the Midlands 2A Division.

Jame West are leading Division 2A on 62 points after playing 23 games in the 14 team league; having won 20 games, lost one and drew two.

Shurugwi FC are trailing on 53 points with a game in hand, having played 22 games with 17 victories, three losses and two draws.

The two clubs, Jame West and Shurugwi FC, will face off in Mberengwa today, Saturday October 27, which will clearly determine West’s promotion chances, needing a single point to secure their spot with a game to spare.

Speaking to this publication after the 13 Stars clash in Gweru, Jame West Assistant Coach, Ashel Kumbirai Gutu, said his team is playing well and only needs a draw against Shurugwi FC to secure promotion.

“The boys are playing well we don’t see any problems, the only challenge we have are injuries of one or two players.

“The pressure we have right now is Shurugwi FC which is trailing us, we have a nine point gap between us and them, but we are happy because we are facing them at home,” Gutu said.

“So far we have two games left to be certain, Shurugwi FC and Midlands State University; so we will say we are done after getting those six points.

“At least if we get a draw with Shurugwi FC then we will know that we are secure even if we lose our last game we could still win the league with five points clear,” he said.

Gutu also paid tribute to the support given by team owners, the Madzipa brothers, who have been assisting the club, as well as the team’s fans.

He however said once they gain promotion into Division 1, the team will need more sponsors.

Jame West came from social soccer in Mberengwa and spent about two years preparing for Division 2 competition, with the aim to gain promotion into Zimbabwe’s second league central region straightaway.

Meanwhile, 13 Stars coach, Takudzwa Mhondiwa, said playing Jame West was tough but the Stars lived up to the occasion despite the loss.

“The game was tough, but you know it’s football. Of course the results didn’t come but it was better.

“It may seem like we played better compared to other games but it was, maybe, just pressure that we were playing log leaders, but this is our usual play nothing different,” Mhondiwa said.