News / National
Dembare wary of stubborn WhaWha
19 Aug 2022 at 06:43hrs | Views
DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya is wary of "stubborn" WhaWha ahead of the two teams' clash in the first round of the Chibuku Super Cup competition at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Ndiraya pointed to the struggling Gweru-based side's defeat of Chicken Inn and Highlanders in the league as evidence that the Luke Petros-coached team cannot be taken for granted.
WhaWha eliminated last year's semi-finalist Cranborne Bullets in the preliminary round, further proof of how dangerous they are.
Ndiraya, who has called for the backing of the team's supporters, is not taking Dynamos' progress to the next round for granted.
"Most of the times we tend to underate some teams that we play against, especially the so-called small teams, so we need the supporters' voices," Ndiraya told the Press yesterday.
"We are playing a team which is a bit stubborn. We have seen what they have done in the past whereby they beat teams like Chicken Inn and Highlanders. They have done well before, so we are appealing for the supporters to come in their numbers and cheer the team. It's a long journey and we are venturing into a different competition altogether, so we really want their support."
Dynamos have received a major boost ahead of the clash with the return to full fitness of defender Frank Makarati, while forward Bill Antonio is back from his trials in Belgium.
"It's a big boost considering that we are going to miss our captain Patson Jaure this weekend."
The DeMbare skipper is undergoing a Level One coaching course in the capital.
"Frank has come at the right time to replace Patson. He trained well this week and hopefully by the time we finish our preparations on Saturday, he will be in good shape."
Shadreck Nyahwa, Stephen Chatikobo and Junior Makunike were also out injured in the past few weeks, but are back training with the team.
"Other players are still going through some recoveries. They started this week, so we don't expect them to make the team. Frank, in terms of fitness, is ready to play."
Antonio arrived back in the country this week from a six-week-long trial stint at Belgium top-flight side KV Mechelen.
The teenager avoided the Press yesterday, but sources claimed that he will sign a contract before the end of the current transfer window in the European country.
Ndiraya is excited by Antonio's return, but warned that the former Prince Edward student won't walk straight back into the starting line-up.
"Bill is back and is ready for the match, but he is not just going to walk into the team. The team has been doing well in his absence. Of course, he gives us another dimension to our play, so we are quite happy that he is back. He is going to help the team in terms of adding more quality. We all know what he brings to the team and our hope is that he brought in something special from Europe," Ndiraya added.
The two teams met once this season in the league and Dynamos won 2-1.
Ndiraya pointed to the struggling Gweru-based side's defeat of Chicken Inn and Highlanders in the league as evidence that the Luke Petros-coached team cannot be taken for granted.
WhaWha eliminated last year's semi-finalist Cranborne Bullets in the preliminary round, further proof of how dangerous they are.
Ndiraya, who has called for the backing of the team's supporters, is not taking Dynamos' progress to the next round for granted.
"Most of the times we tend to underate some teams that we play against, especially the so-called small teams, so we need the supporters' voices," Ndiraya told the Press yesterday.
"We are playing a team which is a bit stubborn. We have seen what they have done in the past whereby they beat teams like Chicken Inn and Highlanders. They have done well before, so we are appealing for the supporters to come in their numbers and cheer the team. It's a long journey and we are venturing into a different competition altogether, so we really want their support."
Dynamos have received a major boost ahead of the clash with the return to full fitness of defender Frank Makarati, while forward Bill Antonio is back from his trials in Belgium.
"It's a big boost considering that we are going to miss our captain Patson Jaure this weekend."
"Frank has come at the right time to replace Patson. He trained well this week and hopefully by the time we finish our preparations on Saturday, he will be in good shape."
Shadreck Nyahwa, Stephen Chatikobo and Junior Makunike were also out injured in the past few weeks, but are back training with the team.
"Other players are still going through some recoveries. They started this week, so we don't expect them to make the team. Frank, in terms of fitness, is ready to play."
Antonio arrived back in the country this week from a six-week-long trial stint at Belgium top-flight side KV Mechelen.
The teenager avoided the Press yesterday, but sources claimed that he will sign a contract before the end of the current transfer window in the European country.
Ndiraya is excited by Antonio's return, but warned that the former Prince Edward student won't walk straight back into the starting line-up.
"Bill is back and is ready for the match, but he is not just going to walk into the team. The team has been doing well in his absence. Of course, he gives us another dimension to our play, so we are quite happy that he is back. He is going to help the team in terms of adding more quality. We all know what he brings to the team and our hope is that he brought in something special from Europe," Ndiraya added.
The two teams met once this season in the league and Dynamos won 2-1.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
