Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOURTEEN years after his registration as a junior player at Dynamos, the joy of winning the league championship three times, the frustrations which pushed him out of the club, Abel Gwatidzo has been the toast of the Glamour Boys this week.
His wonder goal at Rufaro on Saturday helped DeMbare find a path back from a deficit and inflict the first defeat on Ngezi Platinum Stars in a 2-1 win for the Harare giants.
It’s hard to believe that this is the same Gwatidzo never set foot at Rufaro, or any other Premier Soccer League stadium, for six years.
It was at Rufaro where Gwatidzo got his first taste of Premiership football, when he came on as a second-half substitute, replacing veteran Murape Murape, as Dynamos walloped Monomotapa 3-0 on May 5, 2013.
Gwatidzo had been registered as one of the five junior players in 2012 but had to wait until May 2013 to make his PSL debut.
“Rufaro is a stadium that evokes some good memories for me, so when I scored that goal against Ngezi Platinum Stars the feeling was special,” Gwatidzo told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
The 31-year-old roving leftback scored the equaliser as DeMbare came back from behind to win 2-1 against Madamburo, who had never tasted defeat before last Saturday.
Gwatidzo was duly named man-of-the-match and that award inspired the Mufakose-bred player.
He now wants to put in more as he believes Dynamos have a fair chance of winning the league title.
With that victory against Ngezi Platinum Stars, DeMbare moved to within four points of log leaders Hardrock.
Dynamos will play resurgent Manica Diamonds at Sakubva on Sunday, hoping to build on that crucial win against Madamburo.
Suddenly, Gwatidzo has regained his appetite for Premiership football, yet there was a period when he quit the game for six years.
After winning three league championships with Dynamos in 2012, 2013 and 2014, Gwatidzo quit professional football in 2015, after he was frustrated at the Harare giants.
“Things were tough, Kalisto Pasuwa had left at the end of 2014 and there were new coaches at the club.
“You know when coaches change, a lot of things also change.
“So I was frustrated, in fact I was mad and I didn’t want to hear anything about Premiership football,” revealed Gwatidzo.
He quit and ended up working at Dairibord where he also played for their social team.
Between 2016 and 2023 Gwatidzo never watched PSL games, even after some serious persuasions from his childhood friend and former Dynamos teammate Blessing “Bisto” Moyo.
However, fate had other ideas.
Sometime in 2023, Dairiboad played against Golden Eagles, who were then coached by former Warriors striker Gilbert Muzhangazhike.
The football legend was impressed with Gwatidzo and persuaded him to join his side.
“Golden Eagles gave me an opportunity to play for them and at the same time retain my employment with Dairibord.
“It was a good deal,” said Gwatidzo.
He played for Eagles until last year when he was invited back to Dynamos by then assistant coach Mark Mathe.
“Mathe had also coached me at Golden Eagles, so when he was appointed assistant coach to Lloyd Chigowe at DeMbare he invited me.
“I came back, impressed and signed a two-year contract.”
And as they say, the rest is history.
Gwatidzo has gone on to re-establish himself as a key player at Dynamos, a team that raised him.
“It’s good to be doing well at DeMbare, a team that I joined as a 10-year-old.
“It was also because of this club that I got a scholarship at Churchill High School.
“So I owe this club and I want to serve it,” declared Gwatidzo.
He believes he can still play for the national team, despite being on the wrong side of 30.
“I will keep pushing.
“Wearing the national team jersey is an honour.
“I also believe DeMbare have a big chance of winning the league title, we are not that far away.
“We just need to keep winning our games.
“We beat Ngezi, a team that had gone 14 games unbeaten, that shows you we are onto something,” said Gwatidzo.
While a lot of things changed for Gwatidzo, especially in his football journey, one thing has remained constant.
His bond with Simba Bhora captain Moyo.
“Bisto is like a blood brother to me and that will never change
“He knows me in and out, we grew up together, he was my best friend, up to today we are brothers.”
Mathew Masinge