The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
Sports Reporter
HAVING achieved something they haven’t managed to do in the last four years, Dynamos are slowly turning into a dangerous beast and a fearsome outfit.
There is even a spring in their step as they believe the spark and glamour that had been glaringly missing over the last eight years is back.
DeMbare are beginning to show the same characteristics of that machine which club legend and coach Kalisto Pasuwa turned into a dominant force that won four straight championships between 2011 and 2014.
They are sitting on a three-match winning streak, the first time they have achieved this feat since October 2018 when they beat CAPS United, Black Rhinos and Herentals in succession.
Lloyd “MaBlanyo” Chigowe was still in charge when DeMbare went on that streak that would eventually aid them in a yet another strange battle against relegation that was reminiscent of the forgettable 2005 season.
Chigowe was subsequently replaced by Tonderai Ndiraya on April 24, 2019.
And Ndiraya’s brief was clear: He had to transform Dynamos and restore the long-lost glory.
He had to make fans believe in the team once again.
In the same manner, they followed Pasuwa’s all-conquering side that ruled the domestic league effortlessly.
Ndiraya led Dynamos to a ninth-place finish in his first season in charge.
There was no league football in 2020 because of Covid-19.
A lot is expected from the club’s former midfielder in the 2021/2022 season as he has assembled what on paper looks like a very scary group of players.
DeMbare have also evolved from the era of player strikes as they are also enjoying massive sponsorship from Sakunda Holdings.
They have played 38 league games since Ndiraya took charge and after a stuttering 2019, they now look like a team that is onto something.
Their coach has made a number of additions to the squad along the way.
Taimon Mvula, who is arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the land, is now at Dynamos, highly rated defender Frank Makarati, Ghanaian Sylvester Appiah, Shadreck Nyahwa, Albert Eonde of Cameroon, Ralph Kawondera and Keith Murera have found a new home at the club.
The Harare giants have also cast their net across the continent, bringing on board three more West Africans – Emmanuel Paga and Martin Ofori from Ghana, as well as Alex Orotomal of Nigeria.
Paga scored in each of Dynamos’ last three wins against Bulawayo Chiefs, Tenax and ZPC Kariba.
A teenage sensation called Bill Antonio has also emerged.
The Glamour Boys now look solid.
They have the best defence in the league at the moment, having conceded three times in eight games.
They are on a three-match winning streak and face Harare City at the National Sports Stadium this afternoon with their tails up.
And Ndiraya is naturally upbeat.
“We know what we want and if we keep moving in the trajectory we have been, we have a chance of getting to the top,” he told the media ahead of today’s clash against Harare City.
Dynamos are now on 16 points from eight matches and could close the gap between them and log leaders Chicken Inn if they win today.
The Gamecocks stretched their lead at the top to six points after they secured a rare 2-0 win over Ngezi Platinum Stars at Baobab Stadium.
“It will not be easy, we are not alone in this, (but) we are playing as a team and playing very well,” said Ndiraya.
However, the Dynamos coach expects a tactical battle against a Harare City side that is showing signs of improvement under Taurai Mangwiro.
The Sunshine Boys have picked four points in their last two matches and have been gradually moving up the ladder.
“We are expecting a team which is very organised and tactical; which is very astute,” Ndiraya said.
“It’s going to be a difficult match but one which we hope we can get a result because we have a target.”
Harare City beat Bulawayo Chiefs 2-1 at Luveve last weekend, a week after they had held log leaders Chicken Inn at the National Sports Stadium.
That draw against Chicken Inn left the Gamecocks coach Joey Antipas convinced that City were capable of “upsetting a lot of teams”.
Can they upset DeMbare this afternoon?
Mangwiro believes it can be done, although he is approaching the match with caution.
“We respect Dynamos for what they are but we have no fear of them whatsoever,” declared Mangwiro.
“We are quite aware of the form that Dynamos are in at the moment and for us to get something out of this match, we would need to be at our best.
“We need to attack well and defend well,” he said.
Harare City are missing key midfielder Donald “Kante” Mudadi, who was sent off in Bulawayo last weekend, while DeMbare are without skipper Partson Jaure.
Jaure’s centre-back partner Frank Makarati is also a doubt for the match.
They are both injured.
Harare City can bank on the speedy duo of Emmanuel Mandiranga and Clive Rupiya as well as steady defender Hastings Chapusha.
As for Dynamos, they have a number of potential match winners.
In Paga, Antonio and Kawondera, DeMbare have real trump cards.
While Ndiraya and his men brace for the Mangwiro test, the administrative board secretary, Fungai Nyamayaro, revealed yesterday that the Harare giants, through the Dynamos (Private) Limited, had pressed ahead with registering a Deed of Trust for families of the club’s founding fathers.
“Dynamos Private Limited has put into effect plans that were mooted some time ago. Through the initiative of our board chairperson Bernard Marriot Lusengo, we are in the process of registering trusts for all families of the 19 departed founders of Dynamos Football Club,” Nyamayaro said.
“The trusts will derive direct benefits from Dynamos Private Limited for the benefit of the families of the departed founders of Dynamos Football Club.
“The club lawyer, Mr Hebert Mutasa, has already finished drafting the Notarial Deeds of Trust and the families chose trustees for their respective trusts, and the trustees have already signed the documents.”
