Harare — Moses Chunga started his return to CAPS United on a promising note when he led the Green Machine to a narrow, but thoroughly deserved victory, over arch rivals Shooting Stars in a lively Premiership tie at Rufaro yesterday.

Chunga replaced Lloyd Chitembwe on Monday and coached the team on Tuesday but there was a marked change in the way CAPS United played their football yesterday. It's early days yet and one result, a 1-0 win over one of their bogey sides, certainly does not make a season.

But there was confidence in this CAPS United team and, just two weeks after needing a controversial last-minute goal in extra-time to force a draw and win a penalty shootout against the same opponents in the BancABC Sup8r Cup, they could have won by a big margin yesterday.

They passed the ball around with a beauty that won them the admiration of fans who booed them the last time they were on the field and Chunga was mobbed by ecstatic CAPS United supporters after the match.

How things change. And how they can also change, too, tomorrow. For this was the same Chunga who was hounded by a militant section of the CAPS United fans the last time he was in charge of the club.

CAPS United, using an unfamiliar gold away strip that made them look more like Bafana Bafana than the Green Machine, were on target on the stroke of half an hour when striker Clive Kawinga buried the priceless goal.

Kawinga, outstanding all afternoon, fired home with aplomb after Joel Luphahla - who also suddenly found his range and was full of life - flighted the ball from a free-kick.

There have been concerns among the CAPS United fans about the management's decision to buy Luphahla after he appeared to struggle in his opening games at the club.

But Luphahla claimed that he was being played in an unfamiliar role, wide on the left, and yesterday - given the freedom to roam the spaces by Chunga - he was as good as we have known him all these years.

Makepekepe had a vintage first half with Kawinga and midfielder Pride Tafirenyika, who also seemed to be born again yesterday, playing their hearts out and they threw everything at their opponents.

Chunga rang some changes in team which had been playing in the previous matches, giving the nod to the Sengu brothers - David and Ronald - and starting places to Last Chibwiro and Luphaphla.

And he relegated midfielders Godfrey Mangani and Courage Denias and goalkeeper Itai Chiwara to the bench. Big goalkeeper Eddie Sibanda was back between the posts. Chunga, who was at Shooting Stars when the season began and quit in a huff, was elated after the match but acknowledged that there was still a lot of work to be done.

"It is always nice to start on a high note. The players enjoyed the game and expressed themselves. But there is still a lot of work to be done. "They did well in the first half but fizzled in the second half where they were just performing in flashes.

"The reality is we are 19 points behind Motor Action but we are capable of winning 10 games in a row but that will be determined by the way we apply ourselves," said Chunga. He said he was looking forward to a good relationship with the supporters.

"I don't have permanent enemies. And supporters always change if you win they will be happy and if you lose it is vice versa. "But they should also know that I am my own person and shouldn't judge me as a Dynamos son because I am here to do my job for CAPS United. "Wild Boys' coach Gishon Ntini blamed fatigue and bad officiating for defeat.

"We are playing too many games, we played at the weekend, today (yesterday) and will be playing again on Sunday and this is just not healthy. "We played very well, but there were too many errors on the referee's part. "It is so disappointing that whenever we play them we lose to bad officiating," he said.

While he tried to shift the blame on Masvingo referee Masakadza Makonese, the reality is the Wild Boys were outplayed by a rejuvenated Green Machine. CAPS United dominated the match in the early periods and just after half an hour, Tafirenyika was tackled outside the box by Kelvin Mawire and referee awarded a free-kick.

Luphaphla curled the effort and Kawinga finished it by flicking it home past Wild Boys goalkeeper Pedzisayi Gumiremhete. The former champions piled on the pressure and Chibwiro, partnering Kawinga upfront, failed to convert captain David Sengu's fine delivery from the right.

Just before the break, Kawinga and Tafirenyika exchanged neat passes but the latter's effort was saved by the goalkeeper. In the second period the Wild Boys had their chances with Elliot Matsika's dangerous free kick being tipped over the bar by CAPS United goalkeeper Sibanda.

CAPS United substitute, Evans Mwanza, then wasted some good chances to get the insurance goal that the Green Machine deserved. Luphaphla, dangerous whenever he burst on those raids, laid a fine pass to Mwanza but, with the simple task to tap in, the substitute missed the target.

Shooting Stars 0 CAPS United (1)1

Teams

Shooting Stars: P. Gumiremhete, F. Chindungwe, S. Munawa, T. Sambo, M. Muneri, K. Mawire(C. Nyoni 55th minute), J. Chitereki, T. Masuku, S. Gadzikwa(P. Mbara 72nd minute), Eliiot Matsika, S. Sithole.

CAPS United: E. Sibanda, N. Khanye, D. Fourpence, D. Walaza, D. Sengu, S. Alimenda, R. Sengu(Y. Ebabali 67th minute), P. Tafirenyika(C. Denias 79th minute), J. Luphaphla, L. Chibwiro, C. Kawinga(E. Mwanza 77th minute).