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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
AFTER a hectic week in which almost all the domestic football conversations centred around him, Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya is a man that needs his space as he travels to Sakubva tomorrow to face Manica Diamonds.
Ndiraya is battling to win back the trust of the Glamour Boys faithful, some of whom went berserk at the National Sports Stadium last weekend, baying for his blood as they could not handle the reality that the league title had slipped out of reach.
The 1-0 home defeat to Ngezi Platinum Stars triggered the emotions, despite DeMbare having gone seven matches unbeaten prior to the defeat.
Just like the previous week, Ndiraya on Thursday did not entertain journalists for the weekly press conference.
He has been dealing with a lot of pressure lately and, knowing fully well that the trip to Manica Diamonds was another potential banana skin, there was no room to leave anything to chance.
Dynamos, who slipped into third place, need to bounce back to winning ways at least to keep their chances of second place finish alive.
They are set to welcome back into the team one of their dependable defenders Frank Makarati, who missed the defeat to Ngezi Platinum Stars due to suspension.
Ndiraya would also want to see his players concentrating on the game and making use of the scoring opportunities that they have been creating. DeMbare defenders last weekend paid dearly for ball watching while Ndiraya was upset with the missed scoring chances.
The situation at the Harare giants was tense the whole week. With Dynamos, who at some point led the race, now on 50 points and 11 behind runaway log leaders FC Platinum, Ndiraya feels he needs support from all the stakeholders in the last six games and beyond.
It may also not be misplaced for Dynamos leadership to keep Ndiraya for the sake of continuity, and immediately start preparations for next season.
Rivals FC Platinum have in the past exercised the same kind of patience with Norman Mapeza before he turned around the fortunes and helped them deliver three league titles on the bounce. The platinum miners, who face Highlanders at Barbourfields tomorrow, are on the cusp of a fourth successive title.
Ndiraya joined Dynamos when the club was at its lowest in 2019 and the Glamour Boys finished ninth, just four points clear of the drop zone.
But with a huge investment in players and resources, that included a lucrative sponsorship with energy giants Sakunda Holdings, the DeMbare family had expected Ndiraya to end the club’s eight-year championship drought.
Dynamos chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa has stood solidly behind his coach. But the biggest battle is to win back the hearts of the supporters back into Ndiraya’s corner. A win in Mutare tomorrow could be crucial while a loss could spell doom.
Ndiraya face a possible backlash from Manica Diamonds who have also come under fire from the home fans following a losing run of three consecutive matches.
The Gem Boys’ brilliant start to the season created great expectations among the club’s growing fan base in Manicaland but they have since dropped to a distant ninth position and a massive 22 points adrift the log leaders FC Platinum.
“Yes, the pressure is there. When you have been getting good results and suddenly you start posting poor results there is bound to be some pressure that comes with every match that you then have to play.
“This is all because of the injuries that affected us along the way. The good thing for now is that we now have Eriya Mafirenyika, Liberty Chakoroma and Lloyd Katongomara back and fit to play.
“We still have six matches to play and I have no doubt that we can still achieve the things that we set out to achieve from the onset. If we manage to beat Dynamos on Sunday we will move on with confidence and reclaim our place among the top four teams,” said Gem Boys’ coach Johanisi Nhumwa.
Harare giants CAPS United also have an important mission at home when they host Triangle at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow. Makepekepe suffered the wrath of their fans who rebelled against the players, accusing them of lack of commitment, in the 0-1 defeat to Yadah last week.
The supporters turned against their own players and then confronted coach Lloyd Chitembwe to explain the recent run of four games without winning.
Chitembwe, however, has remained focused as the Harare giants struggle to escape from the bottom half of the table, with their involvement in the relegation matrix still a possibility in the last six games of the season.
“They (Triangle) have been on high in terms of their performances and results, they have been winning matches which is the complete opposite of ourselves.
“But no games are the same in terms of performances and how it pans out. So we are looking forward to the change of our fortunes this time around because we are in a position where we are not happy.
“We know we are way below what we expect of ourselves and we hope to change things come Sunday,” added Chitembwe.
Ten points separate the two teams on the log standings. Triangle are sitting in sixth place with 41 points while Makepekepe are a distant 13th.
Fixtures
Today: Black Rhinos v Harare City (Vengere), Ngezi Platinum v ZPC Kariba (Baobab), Herentals v Cranborne Bullets (NSS), Bulawayo City v Chicken Inn (Barbourfields), Whawha v Bulawayo Chiefs (Ascot)
Tomorrow: Highlanders v FC Platinum (Barbourfields), Manica Diamonds v Dynamos (Sakubva), CAPS Utd v Triangle (NSS)
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