On a wing and a prayer

charity game against Orlando Pirates, he had the audacity to say he reminded him of the great Eddie Katsvere?

Was his brilliant cameo role, as a substitute in South Africa, which turned him into the darling of the fans, the beginning of a journey that will see DeMbare getting a tear-away winger, down the left channel of their attack, who could bring memories of the late, great Madhobha?
Did the 18-year-old, who went to school in Mutare and left a reputation there as a genuine talent, do enough on Saturday in Mzansi to cement his place in the Dynamos starting XI?

Are we about to see the explosion of a rare, left-sided teenage talent, who could make a big difference in this DeMbare side and boost their battle for honours in the Castle Lager Premiership race?
After the headline-grabbing performance, away from home, Mabvura returns to the stadium, where Dynamos heroes have left their mark, hoping to boost his credentials.
The Glamour Boys return to Premiership action today when they host plucky Premiership newboys Chicken Inn in a Castle Lager Premiership match that will mark the end of their first round campaign.

It has been an eventful first half, where Dynamos have failed to live to the promise they showed in pre-season where a lot of their young guns were at the heart of their impressive performances.
Denver Mukamba has faded during the first half, after touching the heavens in the Champions League first round, first leg tie against MC Alger, while the rest of the youngsters, who promised so much, have delivered little.

Tawanda Muparati scored the decisive goal, when Dynamos won the Harare Derby, but they owed it more to the confusion in the CAPS United defence as they did to the substitute’s good position, when it happened, to strike the ball home.
Devon Chafa was so frustrated, the last time he played a competitive game for his country, he turned into a boxer in South Africa and was duly sent off.

Archford Gutu might not wear the Dynamos colours again as he continues his trials at SuperSport United while a possible deal also awaits him at Black Leopards.
Enter Tichaona Mabvura.
The Dynamos technical team have been keeping a close guard on the teenage winger, trying to stop him feeding from the media frenzy that has resulted in comparisons with a young Katsvere, and it wasn’t surprising that he wasn’t talking yesterday as they prepared for today’s match.

Mabvura was one of the junior players registered by Dynamos at the beginning of the season and featured for the side in pre-season.
Now, it appears, he could make his big break.
But it’s unlikely that coach Lloyd Mutasa will throw him into the deep end, especially at Rufaro, where the fans can be hostile if the new kid on the bloc is not delivering.
There are good chances, though, that he could get a run and that is enough to excite the Dynamos fans who have been waiting to see the boy wonder who exploded in Johannesburg.

While the pre-season gave a hint that this would be a year dominated by the young guns at Dynamos, it is the seasoned players like goalkeeper Washington Arubi and ageless midfielder Murape Murape who have been the rocks in the team.
Arubi is having another good season, after being robbed of a Soccer Star of the Year award he deserved last year, and Murape has come in leaps and bounds after finally settling in the right frame of mind following the turbulence that forced him to leave for Highfield United during the off-season.

Murape was inspirational against CAPS United, leaving the field as the only player who deserved credit, and he showed that he has really settled with the goal that beat Orlando Pirates.
The Glamour Boys might have beaten a Pirates’ developmental side but who cares and, given the chaos that marred their travel plans, it was a worthy victory.
Assistant coach Tichaona Diya opted to talk about his team and their target of finishing the first 15 games of the season in the top four on the Premiership table.

For the first time this season, Dynamos might land a place in the top three and reduce the gap between them and leaders FC Platinum to just five points if they collect maximum points.
Mutasa set a target of a top four finish in the first 15 games.
DeMbare are currently fifth on the table, with 22 points from 14 games, while Chicken Inn are only one point better and are fourth on the table.

Dynamos will be without striker Martin Vengesai, who is still serving suspension for the red card he picked up against CAPS United.
They are hoping to get the pair of Patrick Khumbula and midfielder Timire Mamvura, who are currently in camp with the national Under-23 team, for today’s game.
“We have enough replacements. It’s good we are coming into this game at the back of some good results against Orlando Pirates and CAPS United,” said Diya.

“It was good motivation for us as a team. Hopefully we will carry on with the good form because we played one of our best games in South Africa.
“But, I think this is going to be a tough game and we have set ourselves a target, which is to finish the first half of the season in the top four.
“That is what we are aiming at this point. The players know about it because we talked about it,” said Diya.

Defender Guthrie Zhokinyi, who returned from a long injury lay off a few weeks ago, could miss the tie while the club negotiates a new deal with the player whose contract with the Harare giants which expired last week.

Zhokinyi is keen to stay on at Dynamos.
Team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday said they were not expecting an easy game against the Bulawayo visitors who have acquitted themselves well in their debut season in the Premiership.

With the season now reaching the halfway mark, Chicken Inn can be counted among the consistent performers in the race.
The Glamour Boys have been struggling for consistency this season but the 1-0 win over bitter rivals CAPS United in the Harare derby two weeks ago helped them edge closer to the leading pack.

Chihoro said Dynamos were looking for a positive result that should give them a psychological boost ahead of the BancABC quarter-finals against Hwange in Chiredzi this Saturday.

“Personally I have not seen them (Chicken Inn) playing but their results speak volume. Their position on the table only shows that Chicken Inn are not easy opponents but we have prepared well for them,” said Chihoro.

“We need to win this game since we also have an equally important fixture coming up at the weekend in the BancABC tournament.
“A positive result will certainly be a big morale booster and everyone is looking forward to it.”

Chicken Inn will also be eyeing third position but they will be without Frank Mvula on suspension while goalkeeper Ephraim Mazarura and Tendai Mukambi are out because of family commitments.
But coach Philani Ncube still has key players, Canaan Nkomo and Thomas Chimenya, at his disposal.