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TRAILBLAZER . . . Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa proudly holds the Premiership trophy after his team sealed a sensational triumph at Rufaro on Sunday

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
CALLISTO Pasuwa blazed a trail at Rufaro on Sunday, sealing his immortality by becoming the first coach to win three straight league titles in this country, as a rain-soaked and pressure cooker Super Sunday ended with Dynamos being crowned champions for the 20th time.

As he choked in the tears of a success story scripted in heaven, Pasuwa wrote his name into the history books by becoming the first local coach to win three Premiership titles on the trot as champions Dynamos triumphed in a riveting contest that went to the wire.

DeMbare’s stunning success story on a day when they went into battle with the fate of the championship in the hands of Harare City, was made even more remarkable by the fact that this is their third straight league title in which they have won by virtue of a superior goal difference.

Pasuwa yesterday woke up to the reality that he had carved his name in the history of the domestic game.

After joining a rare breed of coaches who had successfully defended the Premiership title last year, the former DeMbare and Zimbabwe midfielder this season surpassed the achievements of a few elite men like his mentor Sunday “Mhofu’’ Chidzambwa, Charles Mhlauri, Rahman Gumbo and the late Eddie May.

It was a strange “morning after’’ for the 43-year-old coach, who revealed that he had only come to terms with his latest success story after having his “longest sleep” since the 2013 season started on March 28.

“For the first time in a very long time, in fact for the first time since the season started, I had a very long sleep and I really felt normal again,” Pasuwa told The Herald.

“Because of the pressure associated with being a Dynamos coach you don’t have the luxury of a long sleep throughout the season whether you win, lose or draw simply because soon after each game you have to immediately turn your focus on the next assignment.”

The Dynamos gaffer, however, said he was not going to have the luxury of an off-season break this year as he has to hit the ground running in putting together the Harare giants’ Champions League squad while on the other hand he will soon be involved with Warriors duties where he is national coach Ian Gorowa’s second in command.

“I have had a chat with the secretary-general today (Webster Chikengezha) and he has asked that we meet tomorrow to chart the way forward for the Champions League preparations,” said Pasuwa.

“Time is not on our side since the Champions League involves meeting the Caf deadline for registration of players.”

Pasuwa also reckoned that the 2013 title was the “sweetest’’ of the three championships he has won since succeeding his close friend Lloyd Mutasa at Dynamos midway through the 2011 season.

“I think what makes this championship the sweetest is that we had so many challenges throughout the season and for much of the year we had to play catch up with the other teams.

“Highlanders and Harare City were very consistent and I think Harare City took advantage of the fact everyone was looking at what Dynamos and Highlanders were doing and they quietly won their games.

“I also thought FC Platinum finished strongly, they had seemed to lose their way but when Lloyd Mutasa arrived there he turned things around and they bounced back in the title race.”

Although he felt teamwork and dedication had won the third championship for Dynamos, Pasuwa reserved his special mention for goalkeeper George Chigova, whom he felt made a huge difference with the Warriors first choice’s clean sheets helping the Glamour Boys win the title on superior goal difference.

Dynamos, Highlanders, and Harare City might have all finished tied on 54 points, but Chigova’s fine form in crucial matches, including against their major title rivals, ensured it was Pasuwa’s men who conceded the least number of goals, 22, from 30 matches.

“I wouldn’t single out any one department as very outstanding, I think it was all because of teamwork that we won the league, but I must give special mention to George’s consistency in goal.

“I think he made the difference for us in crucial games.

“We had the misfortune of being forced to change our team every time because of injuries and suspensions and the most notable suspensions were that of Devon Chafa and Partson Jaure.

“Except for Gift Bello, Tawanda Muparati and Thomas Magorimbo, most of our players were on and off and because of injuries or suspensions and there was a time when we played Motor Action (on August 15) without any natural centre-back and I had to use Stephen Alimenda and Magorimbo in central defence and, fortunately, Sydney Linyama scored the winner for us in that game but you could always count on George to do his bit in goal,’’ Pasuwa said.

Pasuwa also lamented lack of consistency among his strikers and noted that it has been a huge problem for the entire Premiership — underlined by the fact that Chicken Inn’s Tendai Ndoro went away to South Africa for several weeks but returned to find that no-one had dethroned him from his 12-goal mark.

Ndoro will now win the Golden Boot award with 18 goals after being loaned back to the Gamecocks by Mpumalanga Black Aces and returning to add five more goals to his tally and help his team to a sixth place finish.

“I don’t know what the problem is at the moment but the whole Premiership has had this challenge of strikers in the last two seasons, maybe we have strikers who are not hungry enough when they get into the box but what is clear is that we are lacking those strikers who have a real eye for goal and my suggestion is that we need to urgently identify talented young strikers whom we can groom,” said Pasuwa.

“We cannot continue to always rely on midfielders for goals,’’ Pasuwa said.

Pasuwa also revealed his eagerness to improve on his poor Champions League record and help Dynamos qualify for the group stages.

“It has not be good at all to fall at the first or second round.

“As Dynamos we need to be playing in the group stages each time we qualify for the Champions League, that is where we belong,’’ Pasuwa said.