The success that Moses Chunga has enjoyed at Castle Premiership football side Gunners is simply unparalleled.
It has only served to confirm that Chunga is exactly where he wants to be-outside the pressure boiler, in the talent hunting business and finally in freedom of expression for his players.
The pressure he has endured in coaching Dynamos and Caps United has only served to toughen him up as a coach who believes in his own ideologies and the capabilities of the players he has entrusted to deliver the goods.
Fans at Dynamos and Caps United want results today; they don’t want to hear anything about a rebuilding process or an injection of fresh talent like the Kidznet.
So given an opportunity in 2009 to lead Gunners, the former Dynamos and Warriors midfielder did so with aplomb and little known players save for Norman Maroto whom he had signed from his former team.
The former Warriors assistant gave an opportunity to Willard Katsande-now at Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa and a Warriors regular and footballer of the year in 2009 Ramson Zhuwawo and Carlington Nyadombo, now both regulars at AmaZulu in South Africa to launch their international careers.
The talented Ali Sadiki, David Rediyoni, now at Caps United, Nathan Ziwini, now at Dynamos and Richard Kola were some of the unknown players brought to the fore by Chunga and given an opportunity to put a medal on their necks.
That year they finished the season on 61 points, five ahead of second placed Dynamos, 10 ahead of Caps United who were third and a massive 18 ahead of fourth placed Highlanders.
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Interestingly, Gunners lost to the three teams in the first half of the season, losing 1-0 to Highlanders in the opener and to Caps United by the same scoreline before going down 2-0 to Dynamos.
But the second half to prove different as Gunners took revenge on all three. First they dispatched Highlanders 1-0 at Rufaro in week 16 before accounting for Caps 2-1 in Week 19.
They then made it more emphatic by beating Dynamos 2-0 in the title decider in Week 29 and completed the championship winning season with a 2-1 victory over Lengthens, although Chunga then quit before the 2010 Champions League campaign begun.
That aside, Chunga drove his point home and is closer to making an appearance in Africa should Gunners, lying fifth on the PSL log with 43 points; beat FC Platinum again this Saturday in Hwange in the Mbada Diamonds Cup and reach the final. Winners of the competition will get a ticket into the Caf Confederation Cup.
He enjoyed a fine outing last Saturday with a 2-1 win at Larfarge to complete a double over talent rich Platinum after winning 3-0 in the reverse fixture at Mandava, then under Darlington Dodo who has since joined the great trek to South Africa. They now lie in fifth place with 41 points, two off fourth placed Hwange and three behind third placed Motor Action.
From the four matches left, they will travel to Barbourfields for a date with Highlanders before they play their last three games in Harare against Chicken Inn, Motor Action (away) and Hwange.
Platinum and Gunners clash at the Colliery this Saturday with all eyes on Rahman Gumbo and his expensively assembled squad on how they will react, away from home, to last week’s loss.
The platinum miners have stated that the league result was a minor hump in their aspirations as they seek a league and cup double in their debut season.
Platinum have won against Hwange at the Colliery, so they know the pressure there, as Gunners are yet to play their reverse fixture in Matabeleland North.
Wellington Mupandare, the Gunners operations director has threatened Platinum with another hiding in his Facebook post: “You will bite the dust again. At least you improved in the last league game where you lost 2 1 unlike the first league game when we gave u a thorough hiding, 3 0. You are still a long way to match my Gunners.”
