Sweden-bound Archford “Uche” Gutu has said he owes his current team Dynamos and has vowed to help the club win the Premier Soccer League championship this season in a show of gratitude.
Uche, who has been hopping from one country to the other in recent months looking for that elusive breakthrough in his career, finally ended that frustrating run when he signed a three-year contract to join Kalmar FF early this week.
The talented playmaker was expected to leave the country for his new club as early as next month but he managed to convince the Smaland-based club that he wanted to help the club that gave him fame.
Gutu on Friday told NewsDay Sport his aim was to win the title with Dynamos before leaving for Sweden in December.
“I owe it to Dynamos and the club’s supporters. They supported me all the time and when I was going through a bad time, they gave me hope. Now it’s my time to pay back the favour. I want to win something with Dynamos before I leave for Sweden. I still believe we have a good chance of winning the league this season and I want to be part of that team,” said Gutu.
The Young Warriors player’s immediate task will be to help his team beat visiting Zimbabwe Saints at Rufaro on Saturday, a match Dynamos have to win at any cost to keep alive their renewed hopes of snatching the title away from the leading teams.
Dynamos are third on the log with 39 points, just three adrift of the leading duo of log leaders Motor Action and FC Platinum with only seven rounds of games remaining. Although Motor Action and FC Platinum clearly hold all the aces as the race enters the home stretch, Gutu still believes.
“All the clubs in the top four still have an equal chance of winning the title. We have been playing well in the last few games and if we can keep that momentum until the end of the season, we will be champions,” added Gutu.
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Zimbabwe Saints players will come into the match in high spirits after they were promised modest winning bonuses if they manage to beat Dynamos on Saturday.
Young Warriors manager Eddie Chivero has promised all the Saints players $200 each to beat Dynamos, while the technical team will get $300 each. Zimbabwe Saints are second from bottom on the log with 20 points.
Meanwhile, bruised FC Platinum and inconsistent Caps United square up in an epic Castle Lager Premier Soccer League duel at Mandava Stadium this afternoon.
The platinum miners, who last celebrated victory on July 31 with a 1-0 win over fellow miners Hwange, have gone for a torrid four-game winless streak which has produced a single goal and three points out of a possible 12.
The Zvishavane side is tied on 42 points with leaders Motor Action who enjoy a superior goal difference.
In the Caps United dressing room, the former cup kings have reshuffled coaching personnel thrice since August last year, and coach Lloyd Chitembwe is carrying the heavy mission of steering his side from an unfamiliar ninth spot to a decent position for a traditional giant in local soccer.
Platinum coach Rahman Gumbo said: “We are not panicking just because we are playing Caps United. We are not worried about them at all,” said Gumbo.
“We will take it easy and approach the game as any other match. There is nothing too special about this encounter. Caps are just as good as any other side in the league and we do not look at any team’s high profile. They are not special and we are just going to try hard and win.
“Of course, we are gunning for three points and the two-week break we have had has not affected our rhythm. We used it to gather our act together and try to get back to winning ways.”
