Dynamos camp resembles hospital ward

By Augustine Hwata

HARARE – The Dynamos camp resembles a mobile hospital’s small ward with more than half of the key players suffering from different ailments ahead of their Castle Lager Premiership match against Triangle at Rufaro tomorrow. 

The Glamour Boys simply have to win this one after a poor start to the defence of their title. Coach Callisto Pasuwa yesterday said he could be forced to make changes once again to his squad if some of the injured players fail to recover in time for the game against the newboys.

Dynamos, still without a win after the opening three league matches, are looking for that crucial victory to give a spark to their season that has not been so good after the Zimbabwe champions were recently booted out of the African Champions League by a rather average Club Athetique Bizertin of Tunisia.

In their opening three league matches, Dynamos registered identical 1-1 draws against Black Mambas, Chicken Inn and Shabanie Mine.

Tawanda Muparati scored against Mambas to cancel out an effort by Nicholas Arufandika while Cliff Sekete rescued a point against the Gamecocks after Tendai Ndoro had given the Bulawayo side the advantage.

Dynamos appeared to be heading for a win against Shabanie at Maglas when combative forward Patrick Kumbula gave them the lead but Munyaradzi Kunarimwe equalised, leaving DeMbare to wait for another day for a victory.

It might be too early in the season to start pressing the panic button yet, but sitting nine points away from pacesetters FC Platinum could be a time bomb if the Harare giants do not start collecting maximum points soon.

“As much as we would have wanted to win all the games, our team has been changing a lot,” said Pasuwa after his team’s workout at Zimphos yesterday. If you can see the injuries are our biggest let down at the moment. Maybe we are changing the team nearly every week.

“Besides (injuries) the other teams have made little changes like Highlanders who have retained the bulk of their players from last season and there is continuity there.

“In our case injuries are affecting us and also we are shy in front of goal. We are not scoring goals and at the end of the day we are being punished for missing the chances.”

Veteran Murape Murape limped off the pitch midway during the training session while Tawanda Muparati, Francisco Zekumbawire, Byron Madzokere, Patson Jaure and Ocean Mushure sat out yesterday.

“Patson has got a knee injury which he incurred from the match we played against Shabanie,” said Pasuwa.

“The doctors are assessing the extent of the injury and by tomorrow (today) they will tell us if he is fit to play on Sunday in central defence. We have got Tawanda Muparati who has a swollen shin and a pulled muscle on the calf.”

Murape was injured during the African Champions League first second leg tie against Bizertin at Rufaro and was rested for the league match at Maglas.

“Murape’s chances of playing are also 50/50 and because he has a knock, we rested him in our last match against Shabanie,” said Pasuwa.

“Zekumbawire is definitely out and Ocean Mushure has got an ankle injury and is not able to play. The guys like Clive Kawinga and Byron Madzokere have been injured for a long time.”

Defenders Morris Kadzola and Sydney Linyama remain sidelined as they are still to be cleared by Motor Action and Chicken Inn.

Highly-rated Congolese international Jeremy, whom many believe could provide the spark in the team’s midfield, was full of running at training but does not have the international transfer certificate to play in the local league yet.

Unsettled Benjamin Marere also continues training with the team in the hope of getting a contract. Yesterday Pasuwa read the riot act to his troops and challenged them to show that they are worth to be called Glamour Boys.

“We have been trying to drill confidence into the guys, the skill and technique is there but we are lacking the precision in the box,” said Pasuwa.

“The major worry remains the chances that we are missing in-front of goal. But we are saying as Dynamos let’s go out there and pull a result so that we start collecting points.”

Pasuwa said he had only seen their opponents during the pre-season while on the other hand Triangle coach Gishon “Gizha” Ntini says he is ready to face the league champions.

Last week, Triangle lost 2-1 to Highlanders at Gibbo in a match Ntini believes prepared them well for the clash against the champions.

“The most important thing has been that we performed well against all the teams and we have been improving with each outing,” said Ntini.

“I think we need to do our best against Dynamos and get the winning formula. We need to keep on improving from the good performance against Highlanders. We have performed well in all the games we have played before although at times we had not achieved the expected results.

“Its actually pleasing to note that we have managed to score in each and every game that we have played. So far we have five goals from three games and I am happy that we are correcting mistakes from each game.”

Ntini reckons his team were literally made to learn the hard way in the Premiership as they were made to play against teams that finished in the top half of the season last year. The other newboys, said Ntini, will have to wait a little longer to face the giants.

“To be honest, the fixture has been very cruel to us as a new team,” said Ntini.

“There is no other team that was playing in Division One last season that has played Highlanders and Dynamos so soon. I think we have been made to learn the hard way but it has been a learning curve.”

In their opening match, Triangle faced Chicken Inn at Luveve and lost 2-1 before beating Shabanie 3-0 at Gibbo and then losing to Highlanders.

“We are the only newcomers who have been made to play teams that finished in the top half while the other new clubs have been given relatively easier fixtures,” said Ntini.

“The first game was against Chicken Inn, who came fourth, and then Shabanie (5th) and Highlanders who were tied on points to Dynamos, the champions. Our fixtures tell a story. All the teams that we have played so far finished in the top five of last season and its means they are good.”

A former CAPS United coach, Ntini said he is now on a crusade to win more fans for Triangle and believes a win against Dynamos could be a turning point as he banks on old warhorses — Limited Chikafa, Leo Kurauzvione, Tineyi Meda and David Sengu.

“The community had waited for 42 years and the people here did not have their own team to support in the Premiership,” said Ntini.

“So supporters followed the likes of Dynamos or Highlanders but it’s time to motivate the community and management to rally behind us.”

Fixtures

Today: Monomotapa v Black Mambas (Rufaro), CAPS United v Buffaloes (Gwanzura), Tripple B v Shabanie Mine (Dulibadzimu), Highlanders v Motor Action (BF SS9)

Tomorrow: Hwange v How Mine (Colliery), Harare City v Black Rhinos (Gwanzura), Dynamos v Triangle (Rufaro).