BY FORTUNE MBELE DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya is a relieved man after the emphatic 3-0 league win over Chicken Inn at Barbourfields Stadium on Saturday eased pressure after previously going four games without victory.
Ndiraya said DeMbare have to try and win all the upcoming games to remain in the title race.
They last won the league title in 2014.
“Credit to my boys that got a result under so much pressure. Going for four games without a win, four games without scoring a goal, especially when you are playing for a team as big as Dynamos, there was so much pressure from all quarters. But the boys managed to stick together; they worked for each other and got a result which has like taken pressure off them,” Ndiraya said.
“We want to keep working and try to get maximum points in each and every game that we are going to play. It is not going to be easy because that is what is required at this stage of the season.”
He said the turning point for the Glamour Boys was when they played a goalless draw with FC Platinum in their previous game.
“Coming here was really difficult, mentally; because we have had difficult games here and we have lost several times to Chicken Inn and given that background, mentally it was difficult for us coming here and getting maximum points,” Ndiraya said.
“But we had the belief; the belief especially after what I can term the turning point, a very good match against FC Platinum. It was not really quite attractive but I think the team gave a good account of itself especially against the champions and I thought that was the turning point for us.
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“So we knew coming here, with the performance that we had against FC Platinum, we had a good chance of upstaging Chicken Inn. We came with the mentality that if we could put a shift against FC Platinum why could we not go to Chicken Inn and put in the same shift and see what happens?”
Ndiraya gave the thumbs up to his counterpart Joey Antipas whom he said had done a good job at Chicken Inn but reckoned that the Harare giants’ next game against Bulawayo Chiefs would be a tougher assignment.
“Our next challenge is Bulawayo Chiefs back at home which is going to be a very difficult match; more difficult than the Chicken Inn one because we will be playing before our fans. We tend to have so much pressure when we are playing at home,” the Dynamos mentor said.
“I must also give credit to Chicken Inn, they are a very good side and they also played very well. It might not be the performances that they have done in the past but my opinion is I think the difference was in the goals. Joey Antipas has done a good thing in building that team.”
Dynamos are now on 39 points, sitting third on the log standings, two points behind Chicken Inn and eight behind FC Platinum who edged ZPC Kariba 1-0 on Saturday at Mandava.
The platinum miners have now opened a six-point lead.
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