Chidzambwa’s date with destiny

the destiny of their Premiership aspirations firmly in their hands when they host Bay United in a promotional play-off final in Thohoyandou this afternoon.
The match kicks-off at 2:15pm.
Black Leopards and Bay United are delicately poised after the first leg of the promotional play-offs final ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the Galvendale Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday night.
That result on a cold night in Port Elizabeth means that Chidzambwa’s men need to use home advantage to win by any margin to secure a berth in the more lucrative Absa Premiership.
After making history back home with the Warriors and Dynamos, Chidzambwa is relishing another opportunity of adding success with Black Leopards to his glittering CV.
The veteran coach last month came close to helping Lidoda Duvha to Nedbank Cup success before they surrendered a 1-0 lead to eventually lose 3-1 to treble winners Orlando Pirates in the final.
But the Leopards have put behind them the disappointment of losing in the Nedbank Cup and have now set their sights on winning back a place in the top-flight.
They will have the advantage of having their 90-minute date with destiny at one of their favourite hunting grounds at Tshifulanani Stadium in Thohoyandou in Limpopo province.
Chidzambwa, speaking ahead of the decisive showdown with Bay United yesterday, said he was confident his charges would clear the final hurdle in their bid to secure Premiership status.
After being pipped for automatic promotion by Jomo Cosmos, Lidoda Duvha know they cannot afford to slip-up when it matters most now.
Their veteran coach revealed that he had had been satisfied by his team’s performance in the first leg on Wednesday and was confident they could see off Bay United today.
Chidzambwa, however, reckoned that it would be a tough afternoon for Black Leopards.
“It is not going to be an easy match, this team (Bay United) played very well on Wednesday, they had more possession at their home.
“Our wide players did not play their normal game on either flank and this affected us going forward but we hope now that we are at home they will click.
“I also thought that our goalkeeper played very well and made very good saves which kept us in the game.
“I am made to understand that Bay United have not lost at home this season and when you consider that we came out with a draw I think I was satisfied.
“But we if we are to win promotion we know that we have to fight very hard tomorrow and we have to take full advantage of playing at home, the weather, everything will suit us now,” Chidzambwa said.
The former Warriors coach who had a brief stint with South African Premiership side Free State Stars said although he would have preferred to have the second leg of the final at Polokwane’s World Cup venue – Peter Mokaba Stadium – his side would equally be at home in Thohoyandou.
“It is a pity we are not using Peter Mokaba where our guys have been doing well, in fact we have enjoyed some of our best games on the wide pitches of the World Cup venues.
“The good thing is that we will still be playing at one of our home grounds so we should not have any problems even if it is more compact,” Chidzambwa said.
Chidzambwa also reckoned that Black Leopards’ fine runs in the Nedbank Cup and in the play-offs, which included a convincing 3-1 triumph over Vasco Da Gama in Cape Town, had helped earn his team some measure of respect.
“A lot of people now respect us, especially after the Nedbank final against Pirates and the win over Vasco. We showed in the Nedbank final that we can match the PSL teams, we had the upper hand until two silly mistakes cost us the cup.”
Chidzambwa attributed their fine run to hard work by everyone at the club including the team’s management.
“It is all down to hard work from the management, technical staff and the players.
Everyone stays focussed because unlike the situation with the clubs back home, you do not get hassles over such issues like bonuses and salaries, everyone knows that come end of the month, they find their salaries in their bank accounts.”
Chidzambwa, who said he had all his players available for selection once again, also reckoned that the experience that Leopards got from playing Premiership sides in the Nedbank Cup, could stand them in good stead today.
“Our run in the Nedbank was good and bad . . . bad in the sense that we have played too much football and fatigue is catching up with the players but good in the sense that playing the PSL sides gave us a good test.
“I think the experience will now come in handy and our players now know how to handle the pressure, they did it well in Port Elizabeth.
“All those players including those who were on suspension are now back for selection so we have a full squad,” Chidzambwa said.
Lidoda Duvha skipper and midfielder Mongezi Bobe also told SuperSport that he was adamant they will beat Bay United in today’s match.
“There is no way we can lose to them at home.
“We struggled here tonight at their home and did not play our game. They played very well and created more chances, but I don’t see them doing this up there.
“It was a tense game as no one wants to make a mistake, especially away from home. On Saturday we’ll be more relaxed and will play our own game, we are going to win this one,” Bobe said.
Bay United captain Mashiane Phadu was also equally upbeat about his team’s chances but admitted they squandered some chances, which they might live to regret.
“We had the better chances but just could not finish them off. I hope it does not cost us but the thing is that we know we had the better of them,” the defender said.
“It’s going to be tough up there, the crowd, the stadium, and they will be more confident, but we won’t allow that. We had a good game and just could not finish off our chances.
“We need to be sharper and I am sure we will be,” Phadu said.
After working so hard to turning Black Leopards into a competitive outfit, Mhofu finds himself on the brink of another piece of history in his long coaching career that began at Dynamos in 1984.