Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
DYNAMOS captain Emmanuel Jalai says he is honoured to win the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League October Player of the Month but will not lose sight of the difficult task ahead.
The award comes with two games to go, when the Glamour Boys are still very much in the fight to survive relegation.
The 26-year-old was rewarded for his consistent form, which has helped the Harare giants navigate their way out of unfamiliar territory.
DeMbare eased their relegation worries following a nine-match unbeaten run in the league competition, with Jalai a vital cog in that revival.
“Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who voted for me,” he told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
“It is a huge honour to receive this award and thanks to my teammates for helping me to be the player and person I am today. It’s all about hardwork and self-belief.
“But there is still more work to be done. We just have to push as a team until the last game. Credit to the boys for what they have done so far,” said Jalai.
Dynamos rose second from the bottom to a position of safety following the 1-0 win over Bikita Minerals at Rufaro on Sunday.
Jalai scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot, with DeMbare taking advantage of the slip-up by fellow relegation candidates, Triangle and GreenFuel, who failed to win their respective matches. DeMbare are now two points above the cut off mark, with two games remaining in the season. Their coach Kelvin Kaindu was defiant the giants have destiny in their hands.
“We said we are not going to use calculators for us to avoid delegation. We want to win our own games and this is what we have done.
“Hopefully, we maintain our unbeaten record,” he said.
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“We are showing a lot of improvement. Even on the day that we have not come to the park, we managed to get three points.”
Kaindu’s unbeaten run, both in league and cup competitions, has changed the PSL giants.
“I think the objective was to survive relegation, which we are quite hopeful about. We are seeing that we are heading somewhere, still two games to go.
“I’m sure there is only one team that has been confirmed to have been relegated. I think we still have to wait until the last final game and the last whistle,” said Kaindu.
Dynamos will play fellow relegation candidates Yadah at Ngoni Stadium this Saturday before winding up against FC Platinum at Rufaro. Yadah and DeMbare are among the 10 teams involved in the relegation puzzle. For fair play, the Premier Soccer League have decided all the fixtures this week will take place on the same day — Saturday.
They are unbeaten in their last nine games, with six wins and three draws.
“Like I said, we don’t want to depend on phone calls to see how the other teams have played. We want to remain consistent. If we can remain unbeaten, I think it will be good for us to build up the confidence as we approach the final match day,” said Kaindu.
“I give credit to the other coaches. They probably came at a very difficult time that resulted in results not being forthcoming.
“But there isn’t much that we have changed. I think we have maintained almost the same team that was playing. Maybe the only thing that has changed is the language and also just to give confidence to the players that Dynamos is a big brand.
“We shouldn’t be fighting relegation. We have even told ourselves that we are not going to celebrate when we survive relegation. I think our objective as Dynamos is to go for the championship.
“So, probably I just came at the right time. The only important thing is to give confidence to everyone, to trust in the project and also the support that we got from the fans. Honestly, it’s not about me as a coach,” said Kaindu.
Fixtures:
Saturday: ZPC Kariba v TelOne (Nyamhunga), FC Platinum v Herentals (Mandava), Yadah v Dynamos (Ngoni), Bikita Minerals v Simba Bhora (Sakubva), Highlanders v Manica Diamonds (Barbourfields), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Chicken Inn (Baobab), CAPS Utd v MWOS (Rufaro), Triangle v Kwekwe Utd (Gibbo), Scottland v GreenFuel (Wadzanayi).
