BY HENRY MHARA THE Dynamos duo of King Nadolo and Shadreck Nyahwa are doubtful for their team’s must-win clash against FC Platinum set for the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Both players picked injuries at training on Wednesday and sat out yesterday’s session, which was conspicuously watched by the club’s entire executive.
Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya, who is desperate to turn the fortunes of the club, is hopeful that the two recover in time for the match which they cannot afford to lose for many reasons.
But it is very unlikely that the pair would make it. They were both heavily strapped on their ankles and looked in major discomfort when walking.
“They picked up some knocks yesterday, so the medical team is working on them. We wait to see if they don’t take part in tomorrow’s training, then that means they may not participate in the game on Sunday,” Ndiraya said at his weekly media briefing yesterday.
“We wait to conduct a late fitness test on them tomorrow to establish if they are fit for the match or not.”
If they fail to recover, it will be a major blow for Ndiraya and his team who are looking to arrest a three-match winless run.
The Harare giants are going into the match on the back of a morale sapping defeat to Cranborne Bullets last week, a defeat that left them eight points behind their Sunday opponents.
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The defeat put the spotlight on Ndiraya whose future at the club looks uncertain.
But the former midfielder looked calm yesterday. He believes a win against FC Platinum would not only help close the gap on the tear-away log leaders, but will also boost his players confidence going forward.
“I don’t know the right term to describe that game, but it’s a big game in the sense that FC Platinum have been on a roll and we have not been consistent in terms of getting results. But it’s a new game altogether for us and we would really want to do well. It’s a game which we want to use to correct our past mistakes, but the question is: Would we really want to correct mistakes against a team like FC Platinum? The answer would be: Why not? This is an opportunity for us to correct those mistakes and make sure that we take off and consistently move forward as a team. We are looking forward to the match and we have been preparing well,” Ndiraya said.
FC Platinum are arriving in Harare in imperious form, having won their last six matches to take control of the title race.
The Zvishavane side has opened a five-point lead at the top of the log standings.
“Everything is in place for us for that game,” Ndiraya said.
“It’s another challenge, but we are looking forward to that game.”
Ndiraya also spoke about the club’s plans in the player transfer market amid reports that he is searching for a striker to solve the team’s goal scoring problem.
“As a coach you always want to strengthen your team, but at the moment we have a good squad. The window is still open and we still have time to make decisions but so far we haven’t made any. But we would want to get into the last 14 games with a strong team and make sure we finish the season in a very strong position,” he added.
Meanwhile, the entire Dynamos executive led by chairperson Issaih Mupfurutsa made a surprise appearance at the team’s training venue yesterday.
“I don’t know whether they are coming here to support or not, but I found them here and I’m hoping that their presence here is a show of support rather than anything else,” Ndiraya said.
Club spokesperson Tinashe Farawo addressed the media after the training session reiterating the executive’s support for Ndiraya despite the team’s recent dip.
Reports had suggested that Ndiraya is facing an axe, if he loses to FC Platinum.
“We need to dismiss that kind of rumour. The coach is at work and so far so good. We are happy with what is happening on the ground. We have seen the team training and we hope for the best. We are solidly behind our coach and what we have done is to give him the right tools for work. This is a big institution, people always talk but most of those rumours are not based on facts. We know there are many divisive elements around but as the executive we are united behind our coach.
“There is still time for him to turn around things. We want to give him enough time to make sure amendments are made so that we can begin picking up points starting on Sunday against FC Platinum,” Farawo said.
- Follow Henry onTwitter @henrymhara
