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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya may have endured a lot of criticism in the last few weeks over his team’s style of play but his bosses and the DeMbare family at large should be pleased with how things have turned out for the Glamour Boys in the Castle Lager Premiership football title race.
The Glamour Boys have surged ahead of competition since the season resumed from the AFCON break. The 2-1 win over Whawha at Ascot on Saturday gave them a two-point lead at the top after their closest rivals Chicken Inn dropped points in the 1-1 draw with giants Highlanders at Barbourfields.
And, this is the first time in a long while that Dynamos have broken free on top of the log standings. They are now on 29 points, two ahead of the Gamecocks, with 13 games played in the season.
It may still be early in the marathon but their supporters are happy and the road shows are slowly coming back to DeMbare. This has to be one of their best starts to a season and the Dynamos fans have been celebrating almost every weekend.
Ndiraya’s men are on an unbeaten run of eight games, spread over two months. Dynamos fans on Saturday could not restrain themselves as they descended onto the pitch at Ascot and broke into song and dance after the final whistle to celebrate the good patch.
Midfielder King Nadolo and Nigerian Alex Orotomol, who have been in the fringes since the start of the campaign, scored a goal each.
This was only the second time they won a match on the road. Dynamos have turned around their campaign following a lukewarm start. At some point, they were under pressure to get things moving after rivals Chicken Inn and Manica Diamonds had bolted out of the blocks.
Critics have been on Ndiraya’s case, arguing that DeMbare lacked the flair. After all, it’s the results that matter at the end of the day.
Their defence has been their mainstay, conceding the least goals and keeping eight clean sheets. Teenage winger Bill Antonio has been a revelation this season while Ghanaian Emmanuel Paga has brought an extra edge in attack.
The two have combined well and have been the major source for DeMbare’s goals. Paga has grabbed five goals while Antonio has three to his name.
Ndiraya believes they are in a good place as they look to break an eight-year championship jinx. DeMbare last won the title in 2014.
“I think what has been difficult for us is to motivate the guys to keep doing what they have been doing in the past seven weeks. It has been difficult, I tell you.
“When a team consistently gets good results it then becomes difficult for the coaches to psychologically prepare that team for obvious reasons because of complacency and all those things.
“But we have been working very hard to make sure that all the players keep their eyes on the ball.
”This is a race, this is a marathon and so many things are going to be happening along the way. So it’s a matter of taking advantage of the moment.
“We are in a very good space at the moment. But this is football, things can change anytime especially if you don’t concentrate and put all your focus on what you are doing.
“Of course, much focus has been on what we have been doing right as a team so that we keep doing the right things. It has been a big challenge but we have seen some positives in terms of change of mentality,” said Ndiraya.
The prolonged Christmas and AFCON break gave them time to work on their game.
Statistics show the former midfielder has been the most successful coach after he led the Glamour Boys on a run that saw them collecting 23 points from a possible 30, since the restart in mid-February.
DeMbare have won seven of the last 10 games.
They drew two and lost one. Chicken Inn have won six, drawn three and lost one, to amass 21 points.
Triangle, who are rebuilding under Jairos Tapera, have been the third best performing team in the last 10 games with 18 points from five wins, three draws and two defeats.
Herentals may be sitting a distant seventh on the log standings but they managed 16 points from their last 10 games with five wins, one draw and four losses.
Black Rhinos also made significant strides with 15 points from the last 10 games.
Dynamos’ run has catapulted them to the top of the table. Their case was made stronger after nearest rivals Chicken Inn and Triangle stumbled over the weekend. Triangle were held to a 1-1 draw by Yadah last Friday.
Online Reporter