DeMbare eye big win

Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
Dynamos goalkeepers’ coach Tichaona Diya says the Glamour Boys should aim for a big win to jump start their Champions League campaign in the first leg of their preliminary round clash against Mochudi Centre Chiefs of Botswana next Sunday.
DeMbare have been preparing for the tournament for the past six weeks and they concluded their programme with a goalless draw against How Mine at Rufaro.

They beat Black Rhinos 2-0 at Rimuka on Saturday, courtesy of goals from Washington Pakamisa and unheralded newboy Anesu Gondo.
Diya who has been working with assistant coach Philemon Mu- tyakureva, team manager Richard Chihoro and veteran coach David Mandigora yesterday said they will use the remainder of the week to work on the final touch-ups.

He said the Glamour Boys, who are the favourites to progress from the preliminary round, are not leaving anything to chance.
“We should not take them lightly and at the same time we should not worry about how they are doing their things. There are no small teams these days and we should treat them the same way we treat all our opponents.

“What is important is to win by a big margin at home. We hope to score more goals here and it will be easy when we play the return leg,” said Diya.

While DeMbare should be satisfied by the progress they have made during their month-long preparations, Diya said they are still closely monitoring some of their players who had fitness concerns.

Goalkeeper Artwell Mukandi, Cliff Sekete and Ronald Chitiyo were nursing injuries and have been on a special training programme.
They would be joined by Ugandan midfielder Boban Zirintusa who watched yesterday’s match against How Mine from the sidelines.
Zirintusa returned on Saturday from his native home where he had gone for the festive holidays.

But Chitiyo seems to have done enough to win the approval of the DeMbare supporters as almost his every move yesterday was met with wild cheering from the stand.

The diminutive midfielder was in top form yesterday as he showcased great ball artistry which reminded the handful of supporters about their former DeMbare idol Denver Mukamba who is now based in South Africa.

Walter Mukanga and Tafadzwa Rusike also featured in the match and might need to work harder to claim their places in the team.
Goalkeeper Mukandi put up a good display as he was heavily involved in the match with a number of good saves.

But the same cannot be said of Murape Murape who went in as a late second half substitute.
The veteran player’s relations with the Vietnam stand broke down as soon as he was introduced and was jeered for no apparent reason the few minutes he was on the pitch.

DeMbare are expecting coach Callisto Pasuwa and eight of their players who were taking part at the Chan tournament to join them this week.

The Warriors, among them Dynamos players Partson Jaure, Tawanda Muparati, Augustine Mbara, Themba Ndlovu, Simba Sithole, Oscar Machapa, Masimba Mambare and goalkeeper George Chigova, are expected back home tonight after coming fourth at the tournament designed exclusively for home-based players.

Diya said their absence from the preparations will not disturb their play.
“We introduced the system we want to use in the Champions League as early as last year and that is the same thing those players are being told. So I don’t think it will be a big problem with the seasoned players that we have. It’s a matter of communication.
“We are happy that there are no injuries reported on our players at CHAN and we also have a clean bill here,” said Diya.