adminBlessing Malinganiza
IT was probably his finest hour, as Dynamos coach, as he was mobbed like a rock star, by delirious fans.
The supporters rolled a red carpet for Tonderai Ndiraya outside Barbourfields last Saturday as they celebrated their stunning 3-0 win over Chicken Inn.
The coach now wants the same level of support when they take on Bulawayo Chiefs at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
He urged fans to come in their numbers and support the team throughout the match like what the Bulawayo supporters did.
“We’ve had a very difficult relationship in the past, but I think after our engagement before the game against FC Platinum, where we pleaded with them to support the team, we have seen a changed team.
“We saw a united support base and I must really thank them and urge them to continue supporting us, so that we can get the results they are demanding.
“We had a good crowd last week in Bulawayo and we’re hoping to have another good reception from the Harare fans.
“The boys are looking sharp and happy in training and they’re also looking very confident.
“But, I’m also trying to ensure they don’t become over confident.
“When you get good results, the players tend to become over confident and lose focus.”
He said they have been working on the psychological aspect of the game to keep the players grounded and focused.
“Bulawayo Chiefs tend to get results away from home, so they pose a danger to us.
“Hopefully we can get maximum points because that is what we need at this stage of the season,” he said.
Ndiraya hinted he is likely to field the same team which thrashed Chicken Inn.
“I think we’ve been doing well but it’s unfortunate that we lost Emmanuel Jalai to injury against Chicken Inn.
“We now have five key players on the injury list and that’s a huge worry for us, but we’ve been working hard without them.
“We won our last game without the other four, so yeah, that’s what is giving us confidence,” said Ndiraya.
He said they were likely to use the same players who secured the win last week.
“Of course, we are not out yet, but we are slowly getting out of that phase and the result last weekend against a very good Chicken Inn side in Bulawayo really gave us a lot of confidence. “It is our hope that we continue on that trajectory by doing well on Sunday in front of our home crowd.
But Ndiraya says he’s still worried by his forwards’ lack of firepower despite last week’s emphatic win. “The goals came, but I’m still worried about our forwards.
“Yes, Emmanuel Paga scored, which is good, but our strikers’ department remains our main worry. We want them to score goals because they’re employed to score goals.
“They haven’t really done that to our satisfaction and we hope they build from last week’s performance.
“Tinashe Makanda and Alex Orotomal gave a very good account of themselves, hopefully they will score more goals.”
With three days left before the transfer window closes, Ndiraya said they might sign a forward. “We’ve got some players we are assessing, and if they made the grade, we will recommend to the executive to sign them.
“We don’t just want players, but we want quality. So, hopefully, we can get that.”
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter