Mukandi out to bury Derby ghost

Tedious Manyepo Sports Reporter

DYNAMOS midfielder Dominic Mukandi is confident he will finally taste a Harare Derby victory when his ailing side face the club he dumped at the beginning of the season at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.The Harare Derby, for the first time in a very long time, comes up with the in-form Green Machine holding all the aces as a victory will draw them closer to winning their first league title in 11 years.

In sharp contrast, Dynamos have been having a season to forget and, for the first time since 2007, the Glamour Boys will not only end without any silverware but outside the top two in the championship race.

Mukandi spent four years on the books of Makepekepe and, during that period, the Green Machine failed to beat their biggest rivals in a league match, losing five times and drawing three times.

The only victory which CAPS United posted against Dynamos, during Mukandi’s time there, was when they won the Commander Zimbabwe National Army Charities Shield semi-finals 1-0 in May 2014.

Mukandi boasted earlier this season that he was dumping CAPS because he wanted to feel what it meant to win the Harare Derby.

“Dynamos is the best team in Zimbabwe. They are the greatest brand in Zimbabwean football. When they made it clear that they needed my services, it was like my prayers had been answered,” the midfielder said.

“I am joining this team because I want to win titles and they have offered me better things, I am joining for greener pastures.

“Above all, I should admit that I also want to finally have a feel of a derby victory having failed to ever celebrate one in the four years which I spent at CAPS United.“We always played second fiddle so I think this is the time to be on the winning side.”

However, Mukandi’s dream went up in smoke in the Round Four of fixtures when DeMbare fell in the Harare Derby to his old paymasters with some CAPS United fans even mocking him as having had the unlucky charm which made them lose every time they faced their biggest rivals.Dominic Chungwa, who had an unsuccessful stint at Dynamos last season, scored the goal that made all the difference.

But Mukandi still has the chance to redeem himself and finally celebrate a Harare Derby victory if Dynamos find the formula to beat the log leaders on Sunday.

“Dynamos have nothing to play for in this fixture but we need to return our bragging rights. We also have to keep our pride. We cannot lose to CAPS United twice. That is unacceptable at Dynamos,” said Mukandi.“CAPS United are playing good football considering their position on the log. They are the favorites to land the league title this year.

“That means they will be under pressure to win against Dynamos and we could take advantage of that to beat them.“Personally I will be trying hard to win a derby match pitting the two teams. I failed to do so the last time and I think this is the right time to do so.”Mukandi said he was disappointed with how his first season at DeMbare unfolded.

“I had wanted to win some accolades with Dynamos this season since we were not winning anything at CAPS United,” he said.“Unfortunately, it did not work the way I had wanted.“I wish CAPS all the best this season hoping that the 2017 season will be ours.”

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