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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
CAPS United coach, Darlington Dodo, used the pre-season transfer period to lure players he has worked with at some point of their development in his bid to give the Green Machine a competitive edge.

The former Gunners gaffer has worked with virtually all his players at some point in the past.

Dodo recruited 22 new players into the Green Machine fold in the just-ended pre-season transfer window and says his decision to go for players he knows well was deliberate.

He was at the helm of then ZIFA Eastern Region Division One outfit, Yadah Gunners, when he introduced into the fray the likes of defenders Carlos Mavhurume, Justice Jangano and Munyaradzi Kunyarimwe.

While Jangano was already at CAPS United, when Dodo took over from Lloyd Chitembwe last year, the gaffer lured Mavhurume and Kunyarimwe joined from Herentals and ZPC Kariba.

Midfielder Richard Hachiro was also part of that Yadah Gunners outfit and, after stints with ZIFA Northern Region Division One side Kariba Waves and Herentals, the workaholic has also reunited with the man who introduced him into the game.

Forward Ishmael Wadi, who joined Makepekepe from Harare City, also worked under Dodo at Bulawayo City some few years ago.

The same is also true about Innocent Mucheneka who signed from Chicken Inn.

The gaffer played a significant role in developing the career of winger, Phineas Bamusi, and it’s what convinced the speedster to stay when he looked set to join Dynamos in February.

“True, I did (settle for players who have an institutional memory of what l want),’’ said Dodo.

‘’It’s really refreshing to be reunited with these boys after having been together at one point during their development before some became household names.

‘’It’s going to make my job easier as they know the dos and don’ts,” said Dodo. “I coached Wadi (Ishmael) at Bulawayo City and the trio of Kunyarimwe (Munyaradzi), (Carlos) Mavhurume and (Justice) Jangano at Gunners.

“I was involved in the development of the likes of Muchaneka (Innocent), Sianchali (Newman), Zhuwawu (John), Bamusi (Phineas) among others.

“I think it’s an advantage to work with a squad which predominantly has players that you have worked with at one point. It makes my job easier.”

Dodo’s charges, like all clubs, are currently working with individualised programmes at home as the season remains suspended while the nation is on a 21-day lockdown.