BY HENRY MHARA TONDERAI Ndiraya has challenged his Dynamos lads to extend their unbeaten run further after they recorded their fourth straight win in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with a 2-0 victory over Harare City at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
The Glamour Boys overcame their city rivals thanks to second half goals from Frank Makarati and Brendon Mpofu.
The win meant they have collected 12 points in their last four matches, beating Bulawayo Chiefs, Tenax, ZPC Kariba and City.
Ndiraya was happy with his side’s performance after some tactical tweaks early in the second half, and now wants it to push further.
“I’m happy that we collected maximum points and we look forward to the next match which is another derby,” Ndiraya said.
Dynamos host Black Rhinos at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday, a team also in good form after registering its third win of the season on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Bulawayo Chiefs.
“Derbies are quite difficult. It’s hard to get points when you play against your city rivals but I’m happy with what the team is doing and we will try to keep marching on. When you work for Dynamos, it’s always difficult to win games because all the teams normally bring their A game.”
“I’m quite happy that we managed to win four games in a row. It’s the kind of stuff that we want. We are now aiming to win the fifth one and we are taking it step by step, and game by game.”
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The victory saw Dynamos retaining the second position on the log standings with 19 points, three behind Chicken Inn who beat Ngezi Platinum Stars 2-0 on Saturday.
They share the second position with Triangle, who came from behind to beat Bulawayo City 3-1 on Saturday. Ndiraya’s men, though, have a better goal difference.
Manica Diamonds, who held FC Platinum to a goalless draw at the weekend, are in fourth place with 18 points, as the title race begins to take shape.
Caps United and Highlanders also increased pressure on the leading pack with important victories at the weekend, with the Green Machine narrowly edging Herentals in a five-goal thriller to move to sixth with 14 points, while 10th-placed Bosso easily dispatched struggling Yadah 3-0 at home. The Mandla Mpofu-coached side now has 12 points and its unbeaten run of four matches, has reduced pressure on the gaffer.
Ngezi Platinum Stars, who are this morning set to unveil Benjani Mwaruwari as their substantive coach to replace Rodwell Dhlakama, are not far off with 15 points from the opening nine games of the season.
“We came into the match under some bit of pressure because our rivals played on Saturday and got good results. So we were really supposed to get maximum points and it was really difficult for us. We had to find ways and means to get the result that we got,” Ndiraya said.
It also appears the Dynamos supporters are starting to believe in Ndiraya’s project as an estimated 5 000 crowd braved the cold Sunday weather to watch the match.
The noisy crowd acknowledged the players’ fine run with a standing ovation at the end of the game.
“I’m happy that fans are responding to the good results that we have been posting and they played a huge role today in terms of pushing the team to get a result. I urge them to continue supporting their team. Without them it becomes difficult for the players to push themselves to the limit, so we always cherish their presence. We hope that in our next match we can also get a good number of people coming to watch.”
At the other end of the log table, relegation candidates are already showing their faces. WhaWha dropped to the bottom of the log standings after losing to another relegation candidate Cranborne Bullets, who registered their first win of the season.
The victory saw the Nesbert “Yabo” Saruchera-coached side moving from the bottom to 15th position, the relegation cut-off point, with six points. They have the same number of points as Bulawayo City who are on 16th. Yadah are the only team yet to taste victory this season and they complete the list of relegation-haunted teams. They sit on 17th position with five points, the same as WhaWha.
- Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymhara
