The Sunday Mail
From Mukudzei Chingwere in Zvishavane
FC Platinum………………………0
Dynamos…………………………..1
RETURNING Dynamos coach, Tonderai Ndiraya, yesterday sent a strong message that he can inspire an audacious revival of the Glamour Boys when he shredded the form book and led the visitors to an unlikely Castle Lager Premiership win over champions FC Platinum at Mandava.
Jarrison Selemani headed home what turned out to be the winner which was enough to condemn the champions to their first home defeat this season.
Since his return to the Glamour Boys, the prodigal son has been talking of the need to revive the team and make them a force they were in domestic football.There is no better way to send a reminder about their pedigree than collecting full points at the home of the champions and Ndiraya hailed the triumph.
“We are thinking about reconstructing our team and in the process we have to be winning and I want to say this is a big win.
“We hope to keep the focus of the team and continue building our team, I am happy the mentality of the boys is getting tougher and tougher by each passing game.
“We are still far from the leading pack and in mid-season we want to get the quality that resembles our team and who knows if I get this commitment that we got today we will be fine.“We do not fear anyone we want to be at home in each and every stadium that we play that is what resembles Dynamos Football Club, we want that culture to come back and slowly we are getting there.
“Coming onto this match the theme was to restore legacy and a team of our stature cannot continue to lose to FC Platinum like we have been doing all along,” said Ndiraya.
Fifteen minutes into the contest the hosts got a chance to break the deadlock but failed to make the most of a goal mouth melee.
DeMbare were knocking around the ball with purpose but failing to create clear cut scoring opportunities to veteran captain Edward Sadomba.
Moments before the breather DeMbare got two chances in quick succession, the first falling to Sadomba who rewound the clock with a well-taken shot on the turn but it failed to trouble goalkeeper Petros Mhari.
Selemani got a chance after a quick break but hurried his effort and the resultant shot was awkwardly over.
After the breather FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza tinkered with his midfield to try and contain the dominating Harare giants.
He replaced striker Mkhokheli Dube with midfielder Perfect Chikwende and started playing with a false nine.
But that still could not stop DeMbare from getting their breakthrough when an unmarked Selamani headed home in the 65th minute.Despite the defeat Mapeza said it is too early for his men to start pressing panic buttons.“It is part of the game it happens in football, congratulations to Dynamos and well done to my boys they worked so hard.
“We should have scored in the first half but we failed to utilise the chances we got that is football it is part of the game.
“It is still very early in the season and we are still in it,” said Mapeza.
The massive encounter before a packed Mandava was not without its off the ball incidents with some superstitious fans from both sides battling to be the first to sprinkle what is believed to be urine onto the field of play before the start of the match and at the break.
In yesterday’s game it was the Dynamos fans who seem to have got the chance to sprinkle the juju first and some among them believe that helped them get the better of the hosts who normally enjoy that privilege at Mandava.
