BY HENRY MHARA
DYNAMOS, the country’s most successful and most supported soccer team, had a torrid campaign last year, surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth, but Ghanaian midfielder Robert Sackey is backing the Harare giants to bounce back and reclaim their former glamour status.
Sackey has been training with Dynamos for the past week with the hope of impressing coach Lloyd Chigowe, who is in the process of rebuilding the squad after the departure of almost all key players at the end of last season.
Chigowe, it appears, has already been charmed by the West African, who he has already shortlisted to be part of the 23-member provisional squad that he is working with in the team’s pre-season preparations.
Sackey is seeing some promising signs in the squad that Chigowe has assembled, which he believes has the capacity to fight for honours in the league season set to start next month.
“There is a lot of competition here. I will have to push myself hard to get into the team. There is a lot of quality in the players that I have worked with so far. They have given me a good impression. I think the quality in terms of players is better than most of the players in the Ghana league,” Sackey said.
“I have been here for some days now and the team have welcomed me well. I have been enjoying my stay here so I want to thank the coaches, the players and the executive. I am ready to work hard and help the team return to the top where they belong. I hear that they had a bad season last year and are trying to recover. I think the coaches are doing a great job and if we can work hard as a unit, the future is bright.”
The Ghanaian, who claims to have played for teams such as Denizlispor in Turkey, is confident of securing a contract with the club.
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“I’m very sure that I will join the club. I have been talking to the coaches and they said they are happy with what I’m doing. So I will have to continue working hard to improve, and hopefully we can do something special with the team this season.”
Chigowe was forced to build the squad from scratch after key players left the club due to varying reasons, among them non-payment of winning bonuses and signing-on fees.
From last season’s squad, they only managed to retain Jimmy Tigere, Godfrey Mukambi, Kudzanai Dhemere, Tawanda Macheke and goalkeeper Simba Chinani.
Edward Sadomba is one of the big name signings, who have joined and has been handed the captain’s armband, while another prodigal son, Archford Gutu has been training with the Harare giants. He is expected to sign a contract anytime soon.
“I have been impressed by the captain (Sadomba) of the team, the striker. He is quick and his awareness of his surroundings on the pitch is unbelievable. I think he will be able to lead this team to something special. But the other players are also doing well, and like I said I have been impressed by the quality of the players,” Sackey said.
Besides Denizlispor, Sackey says he has played for Ghana clubs Bofoakwa and Sporting Club, but an Internet search on the player’s history drew blanks.
Chigowe is purring about Sackey, who he thinks could be an integral part of the squad.
“He has been with us for almost a week, and he is one player that will add quality to what we are trying to achieve. This is his second week, and we have been impressed with him so I think he will be able to sign with us,” Chigowe said.
The coach said he is expecting two more West Africans to arrive for trials at the club next week to fill the only remaining slots in the squad.
Over 100 players have been trying their luck at Dynamos in the past month and Chigowe has already drawn up his provisional 23-man squad.
