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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

DYNAMOS skipper Partson Jaure says the Harare giants are keen on improving their fortunes on the road as they look to maintain their place at the top of the table in the Castle Lager Premiership football.

DeMbare are set to take their campaign to Gweru where they face Whawha at Ascot this afternoon.

They, however, go into the game on the back of concerns of erratic displays away from their adopted National Sports Stadium hunting ground.

DeMbare have played four league games outside Harare since the start of the season and have managed to pick five points from a possible 12.

Most of the points that catapulted them to the top of the table have been harvested at the National Sports Stadium where they won seven games out of eight.

They fought hard for a 1-0 win over Manica Diamonds at the giant stadium in their last game. Jaure is hoping they will carry the positive mentality to Gweru.

“We have put behind us the game against Manica Diamonds but there are one or two things that we picked from that match that we need to improve on.

“We played well but we didn’t utilise the scoring chances we got, especially in the first half. So we have been working hard on it. We need to score more goals, we need to pounce even on the half chances so that we don’t play under pressure,” said Jaure.

However, the defender said they will not throw caution to the wind. Whawha have largely been the whipping boys in the campaign.

They lost eight of the 12 games they have played, with the worst defeat being the 0-6 drubbing by CAPS United. But on a good day, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services side have demonstrated they are capable of causing huge upsets after rocking Chicken Inn’s smooth campaign with a 0-3 humbling recently.

“People out there say Whawha is a small team but I don’t believe so,” said Jaure.

“This is a team that beat Chicken Inn, a team that was on top of the table. We also saw how they competed against FC Platinum and only to concede a last gasp penalty. “So we have to be at our best and approach the game as if we are playing a final. If we carry that approach I think we will get a good result.”

What makes the duel interesting is that Dynamos and Whawha are coming from opposite poles. The Glamour Boys are currently top of the table with 26 points while Luke Petros’ side is second from the bottom with eight points from 12 outings.

Jaure said DeMbare will be aiming to fend off the challenge from rivals at the top of the table. Their closest rivals Chicken Inn also have 26 points and they face giants Highlanders tomorrow in a potentially explosive derby at Barbourfields.

“We are very clear on what we are aiming for. We also have unity from the top to the bottom. The support from the management has been phenomenal, our fans have also been pushing us to work hard in each and every game.

“For us to be where we are, it’s due to the support. We implore our fans to follow the team everywhere we go and hopefully we will maintain our good run. We have to get good results both home and away,” said Jaure.

DeMbare coach Tonderai Ndiraya challenged his strikers to be more lethal. He is excited with the form of Ghanaian Emmanuel Paga, who is their top goal scorer, and his combination with Bill Antoni. The duo has scored eight of DeMbare’s 14 goals, with Paga contributing five while Antonio has three. “Paga has done well so far. He has started in most of our matches and his ratio is really good. I think he has played nine games so far and has scored five goals.

“That’s a very good return for a striker but of course you want more from him. We have demanded consistency, in terms of scoring, from him and hopefully he can give us that.

“But so far I am very satisfied. If you can bring someone from outside the country and then he can score the way he has been doing, it’s good for the team.

“Not just him. I think young Bill Antonio is also doing quite well. He has been involved in most of the goals that we have scored and they have really formed a deadly partnership, so to speak, and they are really enjoying their football at the moment.

“So far I am very satisfied but the challenge is now on the other players. We would want them to step up and complement what Paga and Bill have been doing.

“We have done reasonably well in terms of defending but I also feel as a coach we have not done enough in terms of scoring. Of course what is important is to get maximum points and we have done that,” said Ndiraya.