THE year 2015 has not been a good year for Zimbabwe football giants Dynamos who were forced to surrender the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title to Chicken Inn, after holding on to it for four successive years.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
They now miss out on the 2016 CAF Champions League.
On October 31, they lost 1-2 to Harare City in the final of the Chibuku Super Cup at the National Sports Stadium, losing out on an opportunity to traverse Africa in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Two months earlier, on August 2, the Glamour Boys lost 0-1 to perennial rivals Highlanders in the Commander ZNA Charities Shield final at Rufaro.
Memories of that match still linger in Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya’s mind as it was his first match in charge of the Glamour Boys, having replaced David Mandigora.
The only silver available in their trophy cabinet this year is the Bob 91 Super Cup, which they lifted after beating bitter rivals CAPS United 1-0 at Rufaro in February.
After losing the three pieces of silverware, Dynamos will this afternoon seek redemption when they come face-to-face with Highlanders in the semifinals of the NetOne Easycall Cup at Barbourfields.
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The DeMbare youthful coach is looking at nothing short of victory to progress to the next round of the competition.
“This is an important tournament that usually comes at the beginning of the season and we would like to thank the sponsor for coming through with it. As a club, we would want to go for it and add the silverware to our cabinet. We take every Cup game seriously. This is a chance for us to get silverware after we surrendered the league title to Chicken Inn,” he said.
“The last time we played Highlanders [in a Cup tournament], we lost in the ZNA Charities. But today’s is not really a revenge mission. We must go past this huge hurdle and progress to the final.”
This year, Highlanders and Dynamos met twice in the league with the Harare giants prevailing over their rivals with a 3-2 win in Harare before playing to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Bulawayo.
The former league champions are without five senior players — Obey Mwerahari, Kelvin Bulaji, Sydney Linyama, Stephen Alimenda and Artwell Mukandi — who are out with injuries.
Highlanders’ technical adviser Cosmas “Tsano” Zulu is banking on the 12th man as they welcome back chief striker Knox Mutizwa, who was expected back in the country yesterday from a trial stint with South Africa’s Bidvest Wits.
“This is the time that we need the fans most. I am pleading and saying the situation whereby Dynamos supporters who sit at the Mpilo End take over Barbourfields singing while our supporters remain silent, will not be good enough,” he said.
“I am personally pleading with Highlanders fans to come in their numbers and not allow Dynamos supporters to give their players a situation where they feel like they are playing at Rufaro. They must bring an atmosphere that says this is our home- ground where no team comes out alive. That’s the kind of support that we want because we need to give them some Christmas cheer.”
Veteran striker Obadiah Tarumbwa scored the solitary goal that broke the Highlanders jinx over Dynamos in August.
Save for the 4-3 penalty shootout win over Dynamos in the Independence Trophy final in 2011, Highlanders have not beaten Dynamos in a league match since 2006
Last year Dynamos dominated the Bulawayo giants, beating them 1-0 home and away and 2-0 in the Bob 90 Super Cup. In 2013, it was the same story, with Dynamos thrashing Bosso 4-0 in the Bob 89 Super Cup.
The Bulawayo giants held Dynamos 1-1 in the league in Harare and lost 0-1 at Barbourfields Stadium in 2013.
