‘White Lion’ feels the love

Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter

IT was billed as the clash of aces. The clash of two of the very best young talents in the country.

Dynamos’ Bill Antonio up against Calum English-Brown of WhaWha.

Of course, a ticket to the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-finals was on offer.

But for the two, it was more than just that. It was about displaying who, between them, could rise to the occasion and serenade fans.

The stage was ideal and the venue typical.

The National Sports Stadium on Sunday and the match was being beamed live on Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN Prime Channel 294).

Fittingly, or was it strategy for both Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya and his Whawha counterpart Luke Petros, the two youngsters started on the bench.

Each time either of the two took to the warm-up section, fans could be heard calling out their names.

Antonio, fresh from his trial stint in Belgium, was the most-sought-after, of course, given the partisan crowd and the desperation DeMbare had been drawn into as the match dragged level.

He stepped up with 33 minutes still to be played.

The 19-year-old didn’t arrive at the party. He seemed too desperate to impress by trying to complicate things.

He completed just four passes.

He couldn’t complete any dribbles as he was neutralised by WhaWha left-back Terrence Daka. The verve was largely misdirected and he always went for the wrong options.

Nevertheless, Dynamos did get a goal as WhaWha’s lack of experience was exposed with Trevor Mavhunga getting the goal for the Glamour Boys.

Exactly 20 minutes after Bill had been introduced, Petros unleashed English-Brown for another impressive prospect Timothy Tozivepi.

Just 17 minutes for the “White Lion” to change the complexion of the game.

The goal, WhaWha were looking to get to force the tie into penalties didn’t come.

But for once the National Sports Stadium was lit.

In just 17 minutes, English-Brown had completed three dribbles and forced Dynamos to retreat into a defensive shape as the 21-year-old Premiership debutant threatened to peg them back.

His pin-point passing cheered the crowd and he was good in carrying out defensive duties as well after retrieving the ball twice and made as many blocks.

His movement with and without the ball made it very difficult for his markers to track him.

And Dynamos fans mobbed him at the end of the game with most of them pleading for him to consider joining the Glamour Boys.

The Legends Football Academy WhaWha loanee once trained with Dynamos and he loves the team.

But, for now he has to see what happens at the end of his one-year loan with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services team.

He was pleasantly surprised though by the gesture shown to him by the Dynamos faithful at the end of the game.

A game he wanted to shine and help his team win but ended up achieving only the former objective.

A game he totally overshadowed Antonio, who, on his part, appeared somehow lost in the mist of high expectations.

“I felt so good. I felt pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t expecting it but I really felt very happy.

“It’s not easy to be embraced by opposition fans, it’s not very often that you see that gesture. I would like to appreciate them. Those are the things that can instil confidence in a player for the rest of their life,” said English-Brown.

“They were saying I must join Dynamos and I was like, really?

“It is something that actually got me thinking. But we will see what happens at the end of the season. Dynamos is the biggest club in Zimbabwe.

“I have once trained with Dynamos with an agent who was helping me and something just happened. I wasn’t able to go back to their training then.”

This was certainly not the only match that English-Brown has won critical acclaim but it was a special show for him given the weight of the opponent he came up against.

His Legends Academy director and coach Farai Dhliwayo is not surprised though.

“Football is an honest sport. Fans regardless of the team they support appreciate good players.

“Calum is a special player. He is at home with the ball at his feet and he can pick out passes. He has full confidence in his technical ability and can take opponents on.

“I only heard the fans cheer on three occasions in the game. When Bill Antonio came on, when Dynamos scored and every time Calum English-Brown touched the ball,” said Dhliwayo.

Even Ndiraya was impressed with how English-Brown imposed himself in the game forcing the charismatic gaffer to re-shape his formation.