ROONEY’S MESSI MOMENT

MESSI MOMENTEddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
PREMIERSHIP kings Dynamos are bracing for a tough test as they take their fight for the league championship to Rimuka where they expect strong resistance from army side Black Rhinos tomorrow.
The Glamour Boys camp appear in high spirits following a good run of late, having gone for almost two months without tasting defeat home and away.
And the confidence is understandable following the triumph over old foes CAPS United in two of their three successive meetings.

DeMbare have collected four points from Makepekepe in the back-to-back league meetings and, in-between the clashes.
They also managed to knock the Green Machine out of the NetOne OneWallet Cup following a 1-0 quarter-final victory.

ROONEY MOMENTClub coach Callisto Pasuwa, however, said they need to carry the right attitude on their trip to Kadoma as they have always struggled against the smaller teams.
Pasuwa said they have since put behind them the their triumph over bitter rivals CAPS United.

“In the minds of many people, when looking at this fixture it’s easy to say we are going to collect points but that is not it.
“We have to play first and everything will be settled in the 90 minutes.

“We need the right attitude, right approach and only that will make us able to get those points.
“We should fight. It’s very interesting in the second half of the season because if you look at the log table, there isn’t much separating the teams in the top eight teams, which means teams have done their homework and are improving at the end of the day,” said Pasuwa.

Washington Pakamisa and Russell Madamombe were the heroes in their last match against CAPS but, in that second half comeback, the skills of Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo also caught the eye.

Dynamos are currently third on the log standings with 30 points while Chauya Chipembere have embarked on a recovery mission under new coach Jostein Mathuthu.

While DeMbare are aiming for a fourth straight title under Pasuwa, Rhinos are seeking to raise the bar in the remainder of the season to evade the chop at the end of the year.

The Glamour Boys, however, may not have forgotten how they struggled on a bumpy pitch the last time they visited Rimuka in a match that ended goalless during the 2013 season.

A lot has changed on the state of the turf though but DeMbare captain Murape Murape still insisted they needed to be cautious as Rimuka could be a potential minefield.

Murape revealed they are looking at the bigger picture as they hope to build on their performances in the first half of the season.
“This is the second half of the season and we need consistency if we are to be the champions again.

“I believe the three matches that we played against CAPS United have given us good momentum which we have to build our campaign on.
“It’s going to be tough competition and we need to be consistent,” said Murape.

Mathuthu will be hoping for the best from his charges.
The soldiers fought bravely the last time they played Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium despite going down 2-1.

Chauya Chipembere also appear to have cranked up the momentum as they are riding on the back of wins over How Mine in the last two matches.
However, Mathuthu’s appointment to lead the ship from the danger zone has come under fire from authorities who have queried his qualifications to lead a Premiership side.

Mathuthu was in the spotlight at the start of the season when he was dropped by ZPC Kariba after helping the side gain promotion because he did not meet the minimum requirements for the top-flight league coaches.

Zifa technical director Maxwell Takaendesa-Jongwe said the minimum qualification for any coach to take up a job in the PSL is the Caf B Licence, Caf Level Four certificate or equivalent.

“It’s a Caf requirement that all coaches should possess the minimum qualifications and there are no exemptions to that.
“A circular to that effect was sent to the PSL before the start of the season and there is no reason why a club would appoint someone without the minimum requirements.

“As a nation, we wouldn’t want to compromise our coaching education system. That is why we are having these programmes time and again.
“We have about 82 coaches in Zimbabwe who have Caf B and I am sure he is not one of them. It’s not about an individual, but I would like to believe in any system there are always some who do not want to comply,” said Jongwe.

Mathuthu, however, insisted he was suitable to take up the job at Rhinos.
“If it was true that I don’t have the requisite qualifications then I wouldn’t be at Rhinos.

“All I know is that I have got what is required to be coaching at this level and I was even cleared by the coaches association to be able to coach in the PSL,” said Mathuthu.

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