DEVON’S DERBY DELIGHT . . . Midfielder has never LOST Harare Derby

Bruce Chikuni

CAPS United midfielder, Devon Chafa, has never lost a Harare Derby.

Are we about to see the end of his magical run, when it comes to the biggest football match, in the capital?

Or, are we about to see him extend that fine sequence of results in which he has never endured the pain that comes with defeat in this flagship battle?

The good money is that this could be the end of the road for Chafa, with Makepekepe struggling to stop the rot, after FIVE straight defeats in the league.

But, then, none of those matches were the Harare Derby, the match which has always made a mockery of the animal called FORM.

Chafa has won the Castle Lager Premiership title SEVEN times.

Four of the titles came with DeMbare, two with FC Platinum and he was part of the Green Machine’s 2016 squad that clinched the title with Lloyd Chitembwe.

Makepekepe have endured a dreadful first leg of the campaign, they are just a point above the relegation zone.

The Green Machine appear to be on the highway to Division One football, should they fail to arrest their slide.

In their past four fixtures, they have failed to score and conceded eight goals.

William Manondo started with a bang, scoring nine goals, to take control of the race for the Golden Boot. But, just like his team, his form has taken a knock and it’s hard to remember the last time he scored.

He has failed to score in six games now.

Chafa told H-Metro that he, and his teammates, were willing to die on the pitch to win the weekend’s derby.

“A victory against Dynamos will set the tone for a dramatic second round of fixtures,” said Chafa.

“We are just going to play our normal game and expect a better result at the weekend.

“We are not going to play the occasion but we are geared to rise to the occasion and bring smiles to our die-hard fans.”

The veteran midfielder said he was hoping his derby history will repeat itself.

“We have been playing well but it’s unfortunate that luck hasn’t been on our side, we have been missing lady luck, at times,” he said.

“Hopefully, we will redeem ourselves at the weekend and, maybe, based on my record, given I have never lost a derby.

“We are going to try our best to put an end to our misfortune, it hasn’t been a dream start but we are going to fight to the end.”