Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
Dynamos forward Takesure Chinyama has saluted the Glamour Boys family for their encouragement after he was voted the inaugural Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Player of the Month for the 2012 season. Chinyama has been rewarded for making an early impact at the Harare giants this year when he topped the list of the best performing players in April.
The striker scooped the US$500 prize money for the achievement while the other awards went to Chicken Inn’s Njabulo Ncube who was voted Goalkeeper of the Month and Nelson Mazivisa who finished the month as the Top Goal Scorer.
The pair also stands to pocket US$500 each and the awards will be handed to the players at their clubs’ next home games next month.
Chinyama, who returned home from Poland at the beginning of the season and instantly established himself in the Dynamos attack, yesterday expressed his joy at winning the award. “I am happy that my efforts have been recognised. It’s good to win individual awards, but you have to keep in mind that I didn’t play alone to deserve this.
“We played as a team and won together as a team. So I want to thank my teammates, the coaches and the club’s fans for their encouragement and support. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have achieved it. Now I need to focus on my game and try as much as I can to keep improving so that I add value to the team. We need to continue working hard to collect as many points as possible,” said Chinyama.
He was beaten to the Golden Boot by Shabanie Mine’s Mazivisa who scored six goals in five starts during the month of April.
The former Kiglon player demonstrated that he still has the eye for goal despite being off-loaded by FC Platinum at the beginning of the season as excess baggage.
Mazivisa is currently the leading scorer in the league with seven goals to his credit.
Nyoni of Chicken Inn was the Goalkeeper of the Month after keeping four successive clean sheets at the start of the season to give Chicken Inn a promising start this year.
Nyoni conceded once in the opening five games during the month under consideration when Chicken Inn were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Platinum at Luveve.
PSL chief executive Kenny Ndebele yesterday congratulated the winners and said the awards will be presented in due course.
Meanwhile, the Premiership programme for the next two weeks has been suspended to pave the way for the Benjani Mwaruwari Testimonial match and the national team that will be taking part in the crucial Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers.