News / National
Injuries cripple Dembare
22 Jul 2022 at 01:38hrs | Views
LIMPING giants Dynamos have been forced to drop five key players from their plans ahead of the high stakes Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against Chicken Inn scheduled for Barbourfields tomorrow.
The Glamour Boys, who dispatched teenage winger Bill Antonio to Belgium for a month-long trial stint earlier this week, suffered further setbacks following a spate of injuries in their camp.
DeMbare coach Tonderai Ndiraya was struggling to keep a straight face after learning that the quartet of Brendon Mpofu, Shadreck Nyahwa, Ralph Kawondera and King Nadolo are not available for selection.
Mpofu, who has had an on and off spell since joining the Glamour Boys from crosstown rivals CAPS United at the beginning of the year, is out through sickness.
And then the trio of Nyahwa, Kawondera and Nadolo has been sidelined by injuries, as DeMbare prepares for a tough battle against Joey Antipas' championship chasing Gamecocks.
"We lost some players along the way due to some injuries. We have four key players who are out through injuries and illness; and hopefully we can play and win this game in their absence, and for them," said Ndiraya.
Gritty midfielder Nyahwa and Kawondera have commanded regular places in DeMbare's campaign this season while Mpofu has often started when fully fit, although he missed a couple of games because of knocks.
Ndiraya was not inclined to talk about the absence of Antonio, one of the key men in the early stages of this promising campaign. The 19-year-old ex-Prince Edward scholar has made a huge impact in his debut season and has contributed three goals and a couple of assists.
Antonio was invited by Belgian side KV Mechelen for a month-long assessment with the Pro-League side and his absence could be felt by the Harare giants in their bid to resuscitate a faltering campaign.
Dynamos have not won a match in their last four outings and this has impacted negatively on their title aspirations. They have managed to collect a paltry five points from a possible 15 in their last five outings.
Five points stand between them and Chicken Inn on the log standings, with Chicken Inn in second place on 41 points. Dynamos are third with 36 points.
FC Platinum, who host ZPC Kariba at Mandava tomorrow, are currently in control of the championship race after taking their tally to 44 points, following the goalless draw against Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium last Sunday. Dynamos have found the going tough against the teams at the top. They lost 1-0 to Chicken Inn in the reverse fixture at the National Sports Stadium.
Ndiraya, however, sounded confident of turning the tables in Bulawayo despite the poor run they have experienced in the last month.
"We are prepared to face Chicken Inn. We know it's going to be a very difficult game but this is the phase that we are in at the moment.
"We are going through a phase of difficult fixtures and we would want to make sure that we finish this phase with something in our hands.
"So we are going there with a lot of confidence and hopefully we can get a favourable result," said Ndiraya.
Dynamos, however, have struggled against the Gamecocks in Bulawayo, where they won only once in the last decade.
In fact, Chicken Inn have dominated the matches between the two sides, if statistics are anything to go by. The Gamecocks have picked up seven victories from the 19 meetings between the two teams since 2011 while Dynamos have won five times.
Seven other meetings have ended in stalemate. Chicken Inn have beaten Dynamos four times in Bulawayo and lost only once in nine meetings.
"I know it's been very difficult for us as a team to get a result in Bulawayo, particularly at Chicken Inn. But we will give it our best shot," said Ndiraya.
"Like I said, it's not going to be easy but we are in for a fight. We haven't been doing quite well in the past games but I think we got a confidence booster when we recovered from the bad phase which we had been going through (following the draw with FC Platinum) and hopefully we can continue to get out of those difficult moments.
"So it's a game we are looking forward to especially after playing so well against FC Platinum. I hope we can take that form to Chicken Inn and hopefully this time we can score a goal, or goals, so that we increase our chances of winning the match," said Ndiraya.
Fixtures
Today: Herentals v WhaWha (NSS)
Tomorrow: Cranborne Bullets v Harare City (Vengere), FC Platinum v ZPC Kariba (Mandava), Chicken Inn v Dynamos (Barbourfields), Yadah v Ngezi Platinum Stars (NSS)
Sunday: Highlanders v Bulawayo City (Barbourfields), CAPS United v Manica Diamonds (NSS), Triangle v Black Rhinos (Gibbo), Tenax v Bulawayo Chiefs (Vengere)
The Glamour Boys, who dispatched teenage winger Bill Antonio to Belgium for a month-long trial stint earlier this week, suffered further setbacks following a spate of injuries in their camp.
DeMbare coach Tonderai Ndiraya was struggling to keep a straight face after learning that the quartet of Brendon Mpofu, Shadreck Nyahwa, Ralph Kawondera and King Nadolo are not available for selection.
Mpofu, who has had an on and off spell since joining the Glamour Boys from crosstown rivals CAPS United at the beginning of the year, is out through sickness.
And then the trio of Nyahwa, Kawondera and Nadolo has been sidelined by injuries, as DeMbare prepares for a tough battle against Joey Antipas' championship chasing Gamecocks.
"We lost some players along the way due to some injuries. We have four key players who are out through injuries and illness; and hopefully we can play and win this game in their absence, and for them," said Ndiraya.
Gritty midfielder Nyahwa and Kawondera have commanded regular places in DeMbare's campaign this season while Mpofu has often started when fully fit, although he missed a couple of games because of knocks.
Ndiraya was not inclined to talk about the absence of Antonio, one of the key men in the early stages of this promising campaign. The 19-year-old ex-Prince Edward scholar has made a huge impact in his debut season and has contributed three goals and a couple of assists.
Antonio was invited by Belgian side KV Mechelen for a month-long assessment with the Pro-League side and his absence could be felt by the Harare giants in their bid to resuscitate a faltering campaign.
Dynamos have not won a match in their last four outings and this has impacted negatively on their title aspirations. They have managed to collect a paltry five points from a possible 15 in their last five outings.
Five points stand between them and Chicken Inn on the log standings, with Chicken Inn in second place on 41 points. Dynamos are third with 36 points.
FC Platinum, who host ZPC Kariba at Mandava tomorrow, are currently in control of the championship race after taking their tally to 44 points, following the goalless draw against Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium last Sunday. Dynamos have found the going tough against the teams at the top. They lost 1-0 to Chicken Inn in the reverse fixture at the National Sports Stadium.
Ndiraya, however, sounded confident of turning the tables in Bulawayo despite the poor run they have experienced in the last month.
"We are going through a phase of difficult fixtures and we would want to make sure that we finish this phase with something in our hands.
"So we are going there with a lot of confidence and hopefully we can get a favourable result," said Ndiraya.
Dynamos, however, have struggled against the Gamecocks in Bulawayo, where they won only once in the last decade.
In fact, Chicken Inn have dominated the matches between the two sides, if statistics are anything to go by. The Gamecocks have picked up seven victories from the 19 meetings between the two teams since 2011 while Dynamos have won five times.
Seven other meetings have ended in stalemate. Chicken Inn have beaten Dynamos four times in Bulawayo and lost only once in nine meetings.
"I know it's been very difficult for us as a team to get a result in Bulawayo, particularly at Chicken Inn. But we will give it our best shot," said Ndiraya.
"Like I said, it's not going to be easy but we are in for a fight. We haven't been doing quite well in the past games but I think we got a confidence booster when we recovered from the bad phase which we had been going through (following the draw with FC Platinum) and hopefully we can continue to get out of those difficult moments.
"So it's a game we are looking forward to especially after playing so well against FC Platinum. I hope we can take that form to Chicken Inn and hopefully this time we can score a goal, or goals, so that we increase our chances of winning the match," said Ndiraya.
Fixtures
Today: Herentals v WhaWha (NSS)
Tomorrow: Cranborne Bullets v Harare City (Vengere), FC Platinum v ZPC Kariba (Mandava), Chicken Inn v Dynamos (Barbourfields), Yadah v Ngezi Platinum Stars (NSS)
Sunday: Highlanders v Bulawayo City (Barbourfields), CAPS United v Manica Diamonds (NSS), Triangle v Black Rhinos (Gibbo), Tenax v Bulawayo Chiefs (Vengere)
Source - The Herald
