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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
HAVING spent about eight years as part of the backroom staff at Dynamos, Black Rhinos coach Herbert ‘’Jompano’’ Maruwa says he knows what to expect when he leads the army side against the Harare giants in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow.
In fact, Maruwa and his Dynamos counterpart Tonderai Ndiraya at some point shared the bench at DeMbare when they worked under four-time championship winning coach Callisto Pasuwa.
But tomorrow they will be sitting on opposing sides, looking to outwit one another.
“It’s not going to be an easy game but the boys are ready,” said Maruwa.
“I worked there (at Dynamos) for almost eight years and I am aware of what to expect.
“I know their supporters are always demanding better results. So we need to make sure they end up booing their team.
“But without taking away anything from our opponents, Dynamos are a big institution. They groomed me well but that does not mean I will give them an easy game. We are going to fight to the end and make sure we get maximum points.
“I know Rhinos and Dynamos have long-standing rivalries dating back to the 80s and nothing has changed. We have Stix (Stanford Mutizwa) in our technical team and he has been part of these battles.
“It’s going to add some fighting spirit; he can tell the boys about the rivalries between the two teams. That is why I believe the better team on the day will win.
“The good thing is we don’t have injury worries at the moment. And, after dispatching Bulawayo Chiefs last week, we need to continue with our good form,” said Maruwa.
Rhinos have had an uneasy outing in the opening nine games of the season but they are coming from a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Bulawayo Chiefs.
The army side has some good players in Blessed Mbavarira, Farai Banda, Gareth Madhake, Gracious Mleya, Allan Gahadzikwa, veteran forward Lot Chiunga and Congolese Eli Ilunga.
They also have a number of former Dynamos men in their fold, including Peace Makaha, Ngandu Mangala and goalkeeper Blessing Mwandimutsira.
But they have not beaten Dynamos in their last four meetings spread over a period of five years. Three matches ended in draws while Dynamos claimed victory in controversial circumstances in 2018.
Television replays showed that defender Marshall Machazane used his hands to grab a last-gasp goal in the 2-1 win which shored up DeMbare’s chances in their desperate attempts to escape relegation.
But this time they meet when Dynamos are on a roll after winning their last four games in succession, to rise into second place in the championship race. Dynamos currently have 19 points from nine games while Rhinos are in ninth place and have 13 points.
“We are prepared for the match,” said Dynamos coach Ndiraya.
“We are getting confidence from the four games that we have played and got maximum points. So we expect our boys to push for the sake of the club, for the sake of themselves and for the sake of our supporters. We would want to keep notching points on the board.
“The competition at the moment has been very tough. But I think it’s the culture that we have maintained over the years over Black Rhinos which we must maintain on Sunday. That is what is really pushing us to make sure we get a positive result,” said Ndiraya.
“Black Rhinos are being coached by a colleague (Maruwa). I once work together with Herbert; of course he has got a few things he knows from me and I also have some things I know about him.
“So it’s going to be an exciting duel between the two of us because of the history that we share, and ironically we share it with Dynamos. He was part of coach Callisto Pasuwa’s backroom staff when I was the assistant coach.
“So it makes the whole match exciting but, apart from us the coaches, the real fight is going to be on the pitch. We expect Rhinos to be behaving like soldiers since they are soldiers.
“Apart from the physical side of the game they’re also very mentally fit. So those are the things we expect from them but we are also prepared from our end in all those aspects.
“l can only encourage our fans to come and witness the exciting match. Like I have said, there’s so much history, so that should entice our fans to come and physically witness the action on Sunday. We are prepared although we have a few injuries in our team,” said Ndiraya.
Defender Sylvester Appiah is a huge doubt for tomorrow but DeMbare welcomed back skipper Partson Jaure and linkman Keith Murera from injury.
Man-of-the-moment Bill Antonio is expected to play another key role tomorrow and has struck up a good understanding with Ghanaian Emmanuel Paga.
Castle Lager Premiership Fixtures
Today: Chicken Inn v Manica Diamonds (Luveve), Yadah v Herentals (Baobab), FC Platinum v Whawha (Mandava), Cranborne Bullets v Bulawayo City (Sakubva), ZPC Kariba v Harare City (Nyamhunga)
Tomorrow: Triangle v Highlanders (Gibbo), Tenax v CAPS United (Sakubva), Bulawayo Chiefs v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Luveve), Dynamos v Black Rhinos (NSS)
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