By Richard Zimunya Manica Diamonds coach Johannes Nhumwa is desperate for a win in Sunday’s derby against city rivals Tenax at Sakubva as he seeks to save his job after reports emerged that has been given an ultimatum.
Nicknamed ‘The Dutch Mentor”, Nhumwa had a good start in this season’s marathon and at one stage, his side was among the title contenders, fighting for the top spot with Chicken Inn.
But a lack of consistency has seen the diamond miners drop to sixth position on the league table with 26 points after 16 rounds of matches.
They have managed only two victories in the last 10 games.
It’s a low point for the side that had promised so much at the beginning.
Already, the unforgiving social media has started to raise a question of whether it is time for the executive to change the coach, with critics pointing to the team’s poor run in the Chibuku Super Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
The club is said to have already drawn up a wish list of coaches, which include former Warriors assistant coach, Saul Chaminuka.
Captain Themba Ndlovu said they would settle for nothing less than a win.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“This a local derby and it is going to be a tough match but we are going out for a win and nothing else,” he said.
Manica Diamonds go into this encounter without key player Nyasha Chintuli, who is on loan from Tenax amid reports that he cannot play against his parent club according to the loan contract.
The two sides played each other twice in the Chibuku Super Cup and Tenax won the first leg before they shared spoils in the second leg.
But Tenax coach Shadreck Mugurasawe says he was blind to those statistics.
“We are not going to be carried away with past results. This is a new game. Cup games and league games are different. Our target is to collect three points. I know it is going to be a tough match because it is a derby,” he said.
His side comes into the game with a lot of confidence after registering a 1-0 victory against Cranborne Bullets at Sakubva last week, thanks to their inform captain Takunda Mapara, who boasts four goals and six assists this term.
- Follow us on Twitter@NewsDayZimbabwe
