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Dynamos suffer Mushure blow

Sport
DYNAMOS will be without influential captain, Ocean Mushure for their next league match after he was suspended by the Premier Soccer League for accumulating three yellow cards in previous matches.

DYNAMOS will be without influential captain, Ocean Mushure for their next league match after he was suspended by the Premier Soccer League for accumulating three yellow cards in previous matches.

BY SPORTS REPORTER

Ocean Mushure
Ocean Mushure

The Harare giants are not involved in the league this weekend, as they will be in Botswana for an invitational tournament, which will also feature Highlanders.

Their next league fixture is a trip to How Mine, a match Mushure will miss after picking up yellow cards in matches against FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum and Hwange.

He is one of the six players that will sit out of their teams’ next league assignments, together with Kuda Musharu of How Mine, Black Rhinos defender, Sydney Linyama, Takudzwa Chimwemwe of Harare City, Admire Dzumbunu of Shabanie Mine and Ransome Pavari of Bulawayo City.

But it is title-chasing Dynamos, who would arguably be the most affected by the suspensions, losing one of their key players, as the race enters the defining moment.

Dynamos coach, Lloyd Mutasa described Mushure’s suspension as a serious blow in their bid to win the championship.

“On our part, this is a drawback. Mushure is a key member of the team. If you look at the last three games, his contribution helped us collect nine points. He has been scoring goals and assisting as well. But that is all part of the game. Somebody will have to step in,” he said.

Mushure has scored in each of the last three games the Glamour Boys have played.

The Dynamos skipper, now playing as a left-sided midfielder, scored in the 2-1 victory over Triangle and was on target against Black Rhinos, when he scored the solitary goal that separated the two teams. He also found the nets in the 2-0 defeat of Hwange in their last league match.

Apart from Mushure, Dynamos could also be missing top striker, Christian Ntouba, Carlos Rusere and Cleopas Kapupurika for the How Mine match, as they are all struggling with injuries.

After a slow start to the campaign, Mutasa’s men have hit a purple patch, which has seen them claim third position on the league table with 39 points from the 19 matches they have played.

Log leaders, Ngezi Platinum are on 43 points, but have played two more games than Dynamos.

But Mutasa’s men could find themselves even further behind the leaders by the time they return to face How Mine, if Ngezi Platinum win their next league match, against a stuttering Caps United on Sunday.

The Tonderai Ndiraya-coached side have hit top form in recent weeks, winning their last four matches, scoring a staggering 14 goals in the process.

Castle Lager Premier Soccer League fixtures (kick-off is 3pm unless stated)

Saturday: Yadah v Chapungu (Rufaro, 1pm), Black Rhinos v Chicken Inn (Rufaro), Bulawayo City v Harare City (Barbourfields), How Mine v Dynamos (postponed).

Sunday: Caps United v Ngezi Platinum (Rufaro), Hwange v Bantu Rovers (Colliery), Triangle v FC Platinum (Gibbo), Shabanie Mine v ZPC Kariba (Maglas), Highlanders v Tsholotsho (postponed)