Relegation battle heats up
The dreaded chop is looming large in the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League after a weekend that went horribly wrong for the teams at the bottom.
With just 8 games to go and 24 points left to fight for, four teams are staring down the barrel and yesterday’s results have made the mountain even steeper for some.
It was a nightmare Saturday for the basement clubs.
Manica Diamonds FC were brushed aside 3-0 away to Hardrock FC at Chahwanda Stadium.
The defeat keeps Herbert “Jompano” Maruwa’s men 17th on 19 points, 8 points from safety.
Triangle United FC suffered another moral-sapping blow, going down 0-1 at home to FC Hunters. The result leaves Triangle rooted to the bottom on 15 points from 26 games, 12 points adrift.
TelOne FC and Agama FC also lost their respective matches, meaning all four teams currently in the relegation zone failed to pick up a single point.
While the bottom four stumbled, those around them took full advantage.
FC Hunters did themselves the biggest favour as that 1-0 win over Triangle takes them to 14th on 27 points putting them 7 points clear of Manica Diamonds and 5 clear of Agama in the last relegation spot.
A massive gap with 8 games to play. ZPC Kariba also boosted their survival hopes with a gritty 0-0 draw against giants Dynamos FC at Nyamhunga Stadium.
The point moves them to 13th on 28 points, 6 clear of danger.
According to the latest log standings, Triangle United FC sit 18th on 15 points with a goal difference of -18.
Manica Diamonds FC are 17th on 19 points with -26.
TelOne FC occupy 16th on 20 points with -17, while Agama FC are 15th on 22 points with -18.
FC Hunters are just above the drop in 14th on 27 points.
With four teams set for relegation at season’s end, Agama, TelOne, Manica Diamonds and Triangle are currently the ones going down.
Despite the 3-0 thrashing, Manica Diamonds boss Herbert “Jompano” Maruwa is refusing to throw in the towel. “It is still game on, there are 24 points to play for. It is still open as you can see teams are not moving,” he said after the Hardrock defeat.
He’s right that the teams above are bunched but time is running out.
With 8 games left, Triangle need 4 wins just to catch Agama, while Manica need 3 wins to catch TelOne.
The next 3 weeks will define the season for these clubs.
One more bad weekend and the fat lady might start warming up.
