Dynamos coach Genesis Mangombe and his Highlanders counterpart Kelvin Kaindu have both refused to give up on the title race despite their two team's struggles which have seen both seemingly slip out of the championship matrix.
Highlanders dispatched Dynamos 2-0 at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday, which is only their second win from the last nine matches.
McKinnon Mushore and Godfrey Makaruse scored in either half to ensure that Bosso.
The Bulawayo giants are on fifth position with 29 points, nine behind log leaders FC Platinum, with sixteen rounds of matches still to play in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
Kaindu feels that the nine point gap between his team and the leader can be closed.
"We just want to keep up the momentum," Kaindu told reporters after the Dynamos victory.
"The league race is still open. If you look at the point difference with every team, it is quite close. This win gives us a bit of a breather with a team that is following us (Dynamos) but the point difference is not much with the team that is on top. The league is a bit open for any team. I have seen how a number of teams have challenged in terms of the teams that have been at the summit. After a few weeks we went top and we lasted about seven weeks. We also saw Manica Diamonds coming in and lasted about three weeks. Now it's FC Platinum on top, and that shows how competitive the league is."
Highlanders have drawn eight of the 18 matches so far, and Kaindu wants to convert the single points into full marks.
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Dynamos' chances of winning the championship are more remote, especially after their dsispiriting weekend defeat at the hands of their number one enemy.
But Mangombe is refusing to throw in the towel as yet.
The former Yadah coach blamed the defeat on the strike which saw Dynamos players boycotting training for most of last week due to outstanding signing-on fees and winning bonuses.
"The league is still open," Mangombe said. "We still have a lot of games to play and if we change our mind, our character, the way we present ourselves, and adjust to our problems, then we stand a chance.
"Some of the problems are beyond our control. The team does not train but wants to win. If you don't train, you are bound to lose the game. Players have to train, and if they have certain issues, then they have to be addressed after training. If you don't train, you don't have that energy to compete, but at the same time, these boys also need their problems to be solved in time as well."
Dynamos players only returned to training on Wednesday after their bonuses were paid.
The Harare giants who have won just five of their 18 matches this season, trail log leaders FC Platinum by 14 points.
