Bulawayo City . . . . . . . . . . .0
Dynamos . . . . . .. . . . . . . . (1) 1
The spirit of Chazunguza has arisen and Dynamos look unstoppable. Yesterday was Bulawayo City’s turn to suffer at the hands of a DeMbare outfit that has won its last four Castle Lager Premier Soccer League ties.
The home side’s coach Philani Ncube had vowed to bring Dynamos’ winning run to an end but it was his team that was left licking its wounds at Barbourfields.
The win took DeMbare’s tally to 20 points, six behind log leaders Highlanders who face Chicken Inn in Bulawayo this afternoon. After a nightmarish start to the season under Paulo Jorge Silva, the Glamour Boys appear to have found their footing although gaffer Lloyd Mutasa insists his team will not feature in the championship equation this year.
Defender Obey Mwerahari’s 28th minute header, off an Ocean Mushure cross, secured the points. Masimba Mambare played another blinder, pulling the strings in the middle of the park while Roderick Mutuma made a rare start.
Mambare has hit a purple patch and sources at the club reveal that the midfielder’s new lease of life has a lot to do with Mutasa’s man management skills. The DeMbare mentor is said to have told Mambare to enjoy his game and recounted his own struggles when he moved from Tanganda to Dynamos.
Now with a coach who is willing to give him the freedom to express himself, Mambare is slowly repaying the faith that DeMbare invested in him during his battles with injury. Mutuma didn’t set the stage alight but the gangly striker put in a shift minus the needless arguments with match officials.
The self proclaimed Prince has been told by Mutasa and his assistant Murape Murape to either shape up or ship out. It appears Mutuma has decided to shape up. But one man who looks set to ship out is Kelvin Bulaji who had a stinker when he came in for Musa Madhiri on 53 minutes.
The former Caps United man was so horrible that Mutasa had no choice but to haul him off for Carlos Rusere on 85 minutes. Only a miracle can save Bulaji from going through the exit door together with Evans Gwekwerere, Farai Mupasiri and Walter Mukanga this mid-season transfer window.
Despite watching his team win their fourth match on the bounce, Mutasa chose to play it cool after the final whistle.
“Credit to the youngsters for fighting hard and securing the win but we don’t have to get carried away,” he said. The DeMbare gaffer also spoke about Bulaji’s nightmare.
“When you bring in a player you expect something from them and when they don’t deliver, you have every reason to pull them out. “It has happened to great players before and what happened today is not a sign that Bulaji is no longer in our plans,” said Mutasa.
Ncube lamented his team’s failure to convert their chances.
“We were our worst enemies, we should have walked away with something from this game but we didn’t do the job in front of goal,” he said.
Veteran striker Mkhokheli Dube spurned Bulawayo City’s best chance of the day just before the hour mark, shooting wide with Tatenda Mukuruva badly exposed.
Bulawayo City : N Sibanda, L Ncube, T Majo, N Mukumbi, Z Sibanda, I Kutsanzira, X Moyo, S Ndlovu, B Chikwenya, W Ndiweni, M Moyo
Dynamos: T Mukuruva, G Murwira, O Mushure, S Linyama, S Alimenda, T Chipunza, M Mambare, M Madiri (K Bulaji 53 mins) (C Rusere 85 mins), R Mutuma, K Nasama ( D Mukandi 71 mins)
