The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya has been preaching the gospel of consistency to his charges as they seek to mount a strong challenge for the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title.
In their last four assignments, the players have rewarded Ndiraya with seven points from a possible 12, and the coach is now hopeful that last weekend’s Premiership break will not affect their momentum.
Dynamos are in Rusape today for a date against second-from-bottom Tenax at Vengere Stadium.
“We had to go on an important break and I hope that the break has not broken the rhythm that we had picked up as a team.
“The breaks are difficult in the sense that you may lose form, you may lose the rhythm and you may lose everything that you may have built, so we don’t know how it is going to turn out on Sunday,” said Ndiraya.
Despite fearing that the break might negatively impact on his team, Ndiraya noted there could also be some positives.
“The break was also on a positive note, giving us time to work on a few things that we needed to work on.
“We are also happy that the break gave time for some of our players to recover from the injuries they had.
“We have King Nadolo, who is back; Ralph Kawondera, who is back; and Shadreck Nyahwa, who is also coming back slowly,” Ndiraya said.
He is also worried by the conditions at Vengere.
“It is a difficult stadium; I think you have heard so many coaches complaining about the surface there, but there is nothing we can do about it.
“We have tried to train in those conditions here; hopefully, we can adjust quickly and get the result.
“We are on the other end of the log table and Tenax are second from the bottom, so that really puts pressure on the team in general because, naturally, people expect us to steamroll or get a good result … so that’s what really makes the match difficult.”
On his part, Tenax coach Isaac Nengomasha warned Dynamos to expect a difficult afternoon.
“Preparations in the run-up to the match against Dynamos have been going on very well.
“The players are aware that matches played against big teams earn them recognition, hence everyone is raring to go,” he said.
Just like Dynamos, CAPS United have also found both their rhythm and off-the-field factors contributing to a spate of poor results.
However, CAPS have only lost once in the second half of the season, something which has given their gaffer Lloyd Chitembwe a reason to smile again.
“When you are building a team, it’s a continuous process: You try to put the puzzle together; it’s a step-by-step process and I am happy that the signs are there for everyone to see,” he said.
Chitembwe’s men will this afternoon host Bulawayo City at the National Sports Stadium.
“The target is to try and win … At the end of the day, we want to finish the season in a very respectable position.”
In other matches, Triangle host fourth-placed Manica Diamonds at Gibbo and Bulawayo Chiefs welcome Rodwell Dhlakama’s ZPC Kariba at Luveve.
