Online Reporter
Moffat Mungazi
Sports Reporter
AFTER wandering off into the unfamiliar territory of the tail end of the log standings in a faltering Castle Lager Premiership campaign that had threatened to implode into demotion, local football aristocrats, Dynamos, are clawing their way out of the woods to salvage the season.
Following a stuttering start to the league marathon, DeMbare have largely been flirting with relegation and left millions of their faithful fretting over the cruel fate of possible demotion.
After enduring the misery of mockery by rival fans for weeks on end as the patchy performances and iffy spells persisted, the Harare giants now appear to have turned a corner.
Early struggles
At the height of their struggles, Dynamos appeared doomed as they meandered the rugged terrain of the local Premiership. Positive results eluded them, inevitably plunging into the murky waters of relegation.
At the helm of the ship then was Lloyd “MaBlanyo” Chigowe, who was later replaced by the nomadic Saul Chaminuka.
With the hot seat becoming a revolving door, the chopping and changing of coaches symbolised desperation as the insanely popular club fumbled for the winning formula.
Elbowed out of the title race by the early pacesetters, Dynamos had found residence at the foot of the 18-team table, and battled long and hard to get that monkey off their back.
In the opening 22 matches, DeMbare managed only a paltry two victories, while managing 10 draws and losing as many.
Clearly, their once luminous star had dimmed as fortunes continue waning.
Road to recovery
Then came along Kelvin Kaindu, the affable and soft-spoken tactician referred to as a pastor in some circles, to take charge of the dugout and steer the team clear of the murky waters of relegation. Since assuming the reins, Kaindu has masterminded Dynamos’ stunning revival.
The resurgent Harare giants have not lost a game since going down 0-3 away to Chicken Inn at the end of July.
That league fine run has produced five victories and two draws, claiming the scalps of defending champions, Simba Bhora, crosstown rivals, CAPS United as well as the ambitious pair of Scottland and MWOS along the way.
They are also undefeated in the Chibuku Super Cup after advancing to the semi-finals following two rounds of matches in their quest to defend the domestic knockout competition crown.
Stunning revival
In the recent past games, Dynamos have lived up to some of the ethos the club has represented over the years – the never-die spirit and making waves.
The glamour appears restored and, typically, “nyika yese iri kufara” (the whole constituency of their multitudes of fans is happy).
And coach, Kaindu, is counting their blessings
“This can only be a miracle. Looking at where we were and the number of points we have managed to collect . . . it can only be God. It keeps on building confidence in the team. We were not scoring, but now our scoring rate has improved and we are keeping clean sheets. With a bit of luck, in the next few games we will be talking about something else,” gloated Kaindu, after getting then better of city rivals, CAPS United in the Harare Derby recently.
To put their stunning revival into proper perspective, Dynamos, have been productive on both ends of the field; finding the target in all, but one of their last nine games (0-0 against Triangle), and managing shutouts in half-a-dozen of those. This is the right balance required in any team to guarantee success on the park.
As a sweetener, even crowd favourite, Denver Mukamba, appears to have rediscovered his Midas Touch, showing glimpses of brilliance – while captain, Emmanuel Jalai, has been fronting their cause from the back.
As at MatchDay 30, Dynamos are occupying 14th position after amassing 33 points from seven wins, 12 draws and 11 defeats.
Supporters’ sentiments
Dynamos are presently one of the most in-form teams and if results elsewhere go their way in the next round of fixtures, they could find themselves in the top half of the table. As they continue feeding off their fans – the lifeblood that continues sustaining them – everyone associated with the club must be loving every moment of this remarkable transformation.
Their supporters are understandably purring again.
“Many people, especially the rival fans and even neutrals, thought we were past our prime and would be relegated this season because we were wobbling horribly. To our credit, the club never gave up. We changed coaches as we searched for answers and the supporters remained solidly behind the club although there were some things we were not happy with.
“Here we are now, turning things around and proving that Dynamos are still a force to reckon with. It is just unfortunate that we started the league marathon on a wrong footing; otherwise we could have been challenging for the league title now. We have weathered a storm, and I am sure that the worst, dark days are now behind us as we go into the homestretch,” said Edward Nyamukapa of Mutare.
Another fan, Charlene Dzatsima, exhorted DeMbare to take the remainder of the season by the scruff of its neck and conclude the campaign in style.
“There is still everything to play for. We are on course to preserve our Premiership status this seasons, and to top that up with the icing on the cake, we must show our pedigree by clinching the Chibuku Super Cup again, and write more history even during a bad campaign. We are Dynamos, and once a champion always a champion,” said the youthful supporter.
