Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ELTON Chikona, will have to wait for some other time to remind his recent past employers Dynamos of his quality as his TelOne papers are still being processed.
The 2023 Rookie of the Year was released by the Harare giants last week and has found a home at the Gweru side, coached by his former mentor at Dynamos Herbert “Jompano” Maruwa.
But he will sit out what could have been an immediate re-union with the Glamour Boys when the two teams clash in a league tie at Ascot this afternoon.
Dynamos have literally failed to take-off, 19 games into the season, and are hanging precariously in 17th place with just 15 points under their belt.
And they have had to ship out players like Chikona and Nomore Chinyerere who are now at Triangle to create space for some incoming reinforcements.
Chikona rarely saw game-time under both Lloyd “Mablanyo” Chigowe and his successor Saul Chaminuka.
And he could have been salivating to pounce on the limping giants but his papers are not yet in order with Maruwa saying “Unfortunately, Elton Chikona will not be part of the team to face Dynamos on Saturday (today).
“We would have loved to unleash him on them and that could have given us an edge over them. Chikona was also ready to face them for the first time just days after leaving.
“However, that will not happen at least for now as his papers are not yet ready. That’s the situation. We have other former Dynamos players in our ranks like Frank Makarati and Tawanda Macheke but they have already faced the team in the past.”
TelOne have emerged as one of the dark horses in the Premiership race after punching over their weight with some solid performances in the first 19 games of the term.
They are fourth on the table with 30 points to their name, 10 below surprise leaders MWOS.
Their opponents this afternoon, Dynamos, on the other hand, are enduring a nightmarish season after winning just two games in 19 matches, their worst record since their establishment back in 1963.
DeMbare are coming from yet another confidence-sapping 0-2 defeat to Herentals and they are naturally the underdogs trooping into this afternoon’s showdown.
But Maruwa knows the local football terrain better and acknowledges Dynamos’ unpredictability well having once taken charge of them.
“Never. Dynamos is always a big team. There is no way any team can spring to face them in a lackadaisical manner simply because they are not firing,” Maruwa said.
“This is a team that carries the standards. This is a team that can stop anyone in their tracks. They are never to be underrated because they have seen it all and won it all well before anyone else.”
