BY HENRY MHARA
DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya expects a “very tough match” against “no pushovers” Yadah, a team that has won just one and drawn two of their opening six league matches.
The two teams meet at Rufaro Stadium tomorrow, in a game that Dynamos are expected to collect maximum points, as the Harare giants seek to continue with their revival following a dismal start to their season.
Ndiraya claimed his first win since his return to the club last weekend with a 1-0 victory over ZPC Kariba, which followed a battling 1-1 draw against TelOne in his first match in charge.
The last weekend result represented a significant step towards revitalisation, and another win tomorrow will be a good confidence booster for the players going forward.
“Yadah are no push-overs, they won 3-2 in their last match after having gone a goal behind so that really shows that it’s a team with players full of character and we are expecting a very tough match. I have been at Yadah Village with the Young Warriors and I have seen what they do, I know how they prepare, they are quite a serious lot and we really have to be serious about the game and make sure that we get a result,” said Ndiraya.
Ndiraya has been in charge of the team for just two weeks since taking over from Lloyd Chigowe. He claims that he found the club in a mess, with a group of unfit and disoriented players.
As a result, he says he has put the players on an intensive fitness programme that has seen them undergoing two training sessions on almost a daily basis.
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“I have seen some youngsters starting to play with some freedom and that is really a sign that pressure is subsiding. We have also been clear about our values here. We are a club which plays under pressure in each and every match and nomatter the opponent. We have told the players to always be on their toes and make sure that they approach each and every game with the sort of commitment that is required. We have lost quite a number of games now and it won’t be good to lose more games.”
General discipline in the squad seems to be also lacking and posing another problem for Ndiraya after two senior players received two red-cards this early into the season.
Star striker Ngandu Mangala is also missing this weekend’s match through suspension having picked three yellow cards in the five matches that he has played. But Ndiraya is stamping his authority and has vowed to nip the problem in the bud, starting with Godfrey Mukambi, who will be sanctioned for the red-card he picked in the match against TelOne.
“We asked the team manager to make sure that he (Mukambi) pays his fine so I’m hoping that he is going to be a good example to all the others. We are not going to allow indiscipline in the team because at the end of the day, it costs the whole team. It’s all about teammates, so if you get an unnecessary card, that means you are putting your teammates in a very tight corner. It means extra work for the team, and that is not acceptable and we have been stressing on the team values (and) the need to put the team first.”
Besides Mangala, Ndiraya is unlikely to make changes to the team that beat ZPC Kariba. Other imports including the Cameroonian pair of Clade Junior Nkahan and Herve Mbega, and Ghanaian Robert Sackey remain side-lined by injuries.
“We are going to trust those who have been doing duty, but I have also seen some good competition at training. I would have wanted to have all my players when we prepare for a match, unfortunately we haven’t been lucky in terms of injuries. But we are confident with what we have. From our last match, Ngandu is the only player to be missing, and that gives us some bit of consistence in terms of team selection.”
