admin
Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
HE was only on the pitch barely 10 minutes but teenage midfielder Vusimuzi Ngwenya had enough time on his first team debut appearance for giants Dynamos to earn himself plaudits of the interim head coach Lloyd Chigowe.
Ngwenya was introduced with just five minutes remaining on the clock in the Chibuku Super Cup first-round victory over ZPC Kariba at Rufaro on Wednesday afternoon. The referee decided to give five more minutes of added time.
The 19-year-old had been waiting for this moment for close to two years. After finding no joy under coaches Herbert Maruwa and Genesis Mangombe, it had to take Chigowe, a known admirer of young talents, to make the gamble, in a league where the majority of coaches do not want to take the “risk” of fielding young players in competitive games.
Ngwenya is one of the five teenagers registered by Dynamos under the Under-20s slot, along with Elton Chikona, Tapuwa Muzafiti, Marvel Mbedzi, and Francis Jerimani.
He has been part of the registered squad since last season when he was only 18 years old. But while some of his peers Chikona, Jerimani, and Muzafiti have been awarded some game time, albeit limited, he was yet to get his first minutes.
“I think it’s long overdue,” said Chigowe.
In Ngwenya, Chigowe believes Dynamos have a big prospect for the future.
“This boy should have probably started playing the first half of the season. He is a Dynamos juniors’ product through and through, from the Under-10s to the Under-20 side up to the senior team.”
“I think he is one for the future and is ready to play now. He is a real nugget.”
Ngwenya is also rated highly by his peers despite his innocent boyish looks.
The midfielder joined Dynamos at the age of 12 years and grew through the ranks until he was promoted to the senior team from their division two side at the beginning of last season.
In a previous interview with the Zimppers Sports Hub, he said Dynamos is life to him and he will work hard to thrive at the club.
“To me, Dynamos means life. I’m very committed to Dynamos. The club have helped me improve my football skills for a long time.
“There is much competition in the team but I am always working hard to be prepared when my chance comes as I should be able to grab it and show up.
“The promotion to the senior team has made me learn a lot from my seniors. I believe that doing all this will help me take my club Dynamos to a greater level. When Dynamos is great I will be a great player as well, that’s my dream,” he said.
It looks like the doors are now opening up for the young midfielder who was recently added to the CAF Confederation Cup squad, along with fit-again Elvis Moyo and fellow development player Jerimani, ahead of the second-round qualifying tie against Orapa United of Botswana.
Dynamos are competing on three fronts and they would need the depth, especially after suffering a spat of injuries in the last few weeks.
The Glamour Boys began the defence of the Chibuku Super Cup on a high after trouncing ZPC Kariba 3-1 at Rufaro during the midweek. They are enjoying a period of revival under interim coach Chigowe, who recently replaced Genesis Mangombe.
“We will take each game as it comes because it will not be easy going forward. There are teams obviously that also have ambitions but to us, it’s very important that we won the first round match. It’s critical,” said Chigowe.
Dynamos scored three goals for the first time this season in the victory over ZPC Kariba, courtesy of star midfielder Donald Mudadi, Emmanuel Paga, and Noore Chinyerere.
“Remember when I came on board, I said we now need to work on combinations rather than rely on individuals because if you rely on one person, then we risk putting pressure on one guy. But at the end of the day I think the combinations worked and we got three goals,” said Chigowe.
Online Reporter