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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

AS the clock ticks towards the business end of the Premier Soccer League mid-season transfer window, giants Dynamos are having sleepless nights over where to get a striker to fix their misfiring forward line. 

The Glamour Boys made a number of signings in the last two years in the quest to end a seven-year barren run in the title chase but the return on their investment has not been satisfactory. 

Their coach Tonderai Ndiraya has repeatedly rued the poor conversion rate by his strikers almost in every post-match interview. So blunt has been the Glamour Boys strikeforce that they have fired blanks in 10 of the 21 games they have played this season.

But in football, the golden rule is that if you don’t score, chances of winning are as good as none. DeMbare have not scored in the last four consecutive games and they have lost considerable ground in the championship race. 

Ndiraya is getting anxious, as Dynamos are desperate to keep their title campaign on track. He said the Glamour Boys are ready to pounce on a striker if the opportunity arises during this transfer window, which closes in under two weeks. 

“If you give me a striker who can score week in and week out, why not (sign him)? But the question now is, do we have the kind of striker at the moment? 

“I think it’s a national problem, if you ask me. We want someone who can score goals week in and week out. Look at the top scorers in the league; (the league’s current top scorer William) Manondo is not even a centre forward but is scoring at number 10, winger. 

“So that really paints the picture about the whole country. But if we get one that we can afford, one who is willing to come and play for us, then why not go for that play?

“But at the moment this is mid-season transfer window, which team would really want to sell their best player or their top marksman? So we are in a catch. 

“But if there is a striker who is available, who we can afford, why not? We still have some bit of time to make those decisions. So we will make those decisions,” said Ndiraya.

Ndiraya’s comments come as goals have dried up for the giants. Ghanaian Emmanuel Paga is the club’s top scorer with five goals. But he hasn’t found the back of the nets in three months. 

Paga last scored when DeMbare beat Manica Diamonds 1-0 at the National Sports Stadium on April 24, to claim top spot. But nine games on, the West African striker is yet to add to his tally. 

Teenage winger Bill Antonio, with three goals to his name, has not been able to retain the spark he had in the early part of the campaign. The other forwards like Evans Katema and Alex Orotomal have been disappointing. 

Some of the DeMbare forwards like Albert Eonde, Tatenda Makanda, Issa Sadiki and Tanaka Chidhobha have not been given enough game time but some of them, when they got the opportunities, could not make a lasting impact. 

And on Sunday, Dynamos supporters clocked six weeks without celebrating a goal, following the barren draw against champions and log leaders FC Platinum. 

Dynamos last scored when they beat bitter rivals CAPS United 3-0 at the National Sports Stadium on June 5. 

Nonetheless, the draw against the in-form platinum miners, who had gone on a seven-match winning streak, was welcomed by the DeMbare family, after their team had slumped to a surprise defeat to newboys Cranborne Bullets on their previous outing. 

“From our end and if you consider where we are coming from we really wanted to recover. How we would recover, we would not mind if you ask me,” said Ndiraya. 

“And we’ve recovered, that’s what’s important with us because from our end, there were lots of nerves. You can’t really be yourself especially when you’re playing under pressure. You need a lot of courage from all the players to be able to really play the football that you want. 

“But sometimes it’s difficult when you’re playing for a big team like ours to really get that courage and really do what you’re supposed to do. 

“In my opinion, the fact that we matched a team that is good has also put us at another level. It showed we are not a bad side despite going through some difficulties; we can match the champions and we are really happy about that. But I continue to bemoan the missed chances that we created,” said Ndiraya. 

Dynamos remained third in the race with 36 points, eight behind FC Platinum. 

Norman Mapeza’s side continued to rule the roost in the Premiership race, with 44 points. Their lead was however, slashed down to three points after second-placed Chicken Inn beat Bulawayo Chiefs 3-1 in Bulawayo to move to 41 points.