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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
THERE is a sense of relief at Dynamos after the postponement of their epic Castle Lager Premier Soccer League tie against Highlanders.
The country’s two biggest teams were billed to clash in the first leg of the Battle of Zimbabwe at Barbourfields on Saturday.
The fixture has however, been shelved to afford the same teams enough time to prepare for their Independence Trophy showdown next week.
The two giants are scheduled to face-off for the Uhuru crown at Mupfure Stadium in Mt Darwin as part of the main Independence Day celebrations next Tuesday.
And the Premier Soccer League have decided to move their league clash, after consultations with the Sports and Recreation Commission.
The PSL yesterday confirmed the postponement in a statement.
“Please be advised that the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match between Highlanders FC and Dynamos FC scheduled to be played on Saturday 15 April 2023 has been postponed,” read the statement.
“This comes following a directive from the Sports and Recreation Commission for the teams to participate in the Independence day activities which will commence on the 16 April 2023.
“The postponed fixture will be rescheduled in due course.”
And for Dynamos, the postponement was a blessing.
The Glamour Boys played a goalless draw against Cranborne Bullets on Monday.
They were supposed to travel to Bulawayo tomorrow, meaning they would have had only two days to prepare for the tricky fixture.
DeMbare were also scheduled to travel back to Harare on Sunday and proceed to Mt Darwin for the Independence Day match.
That means the Harare giants would have had little or no time to rest or prepare for the Uhuru tie.
The only option that Dynamos and Highlanders, as well, would have been left with was to field fringe players and take the glamour off the encounter. The Independence Trophy hold so much significance to Zimbabwe because of its background.
But, with the postponement, both teams will have time to prepare for the match.
They will also be part of the processions that start on April 16.
And for Dynamos, the postponement of what was supposed to be the first fixture of the back-to-back clash, came as a blessing.
Two of their key players-captain Frank Makarati and midfielder Donald Mudadi would have missed this encounter due to injuries.
Makarati suffered a head injury in DeMbare’s last league match against Cranborne Bullets on Monday.
Mudadi, on the other hand, twisted his ankle after he was accidentally stamped on by Makarati.
Dynamos assistant coach Genesis Mangombe revealed yesterday that the duo was set to miss the Saturday match.
“Frank Makarati and Donald Mudadi are nursing injuries and they were set to miss the league match against Highlanders had that match gone ahead on Saturday,” said Mangombe.
“The two are injured and they have been resting this week.
“But, there is hope, they will be part of the team when we face Bosso in the Independence Trophy final on Independence Day.
“We only played our last league match against Cranborne Bullets on Monday and there wasn’t sufficient time for the two to fully recover.
“But with the Saturday match now postponed, we believe the two will have time to recover and play some part in the Independence Trophy final on Tuesday next week.
“The postponement has come as a blessing for us, in a way.
“We are very happy that we will have sufficient time to prepare for the Independence Trophy final against Highlanders.
“Obviously the match will be historic given it will be played in Mt Darwin. We are looking forward to a very good game and I hope all our players carrying varying injuries would have recovered by the time we line up for that final.”
Dynamos will be looking to win the trophy after they lost to the same opponents at Barbourfields in last year’s edition.
Online Reporter