Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Dynamos head coach Kelvin Kaindu is looking beyond the tactical whiteboard and towards divine intervention to save his team from an unprecedented relegation at the end of the season.
The Harare giants find themselves in an unfamiliar and precarious position, sitting second from the bottom of the league table with 19 points from 24 matches.
They are seven points adrift of safety with 10 games left to play.
Their battle for survival continues on Saturday with a seemingly winnable away fixture against bottom-of-the-table Kwekwe United.
Kaindu’s men head into the crucial clash with a glimmer of hope after a run of three consecutive wins, two of which were hard-fought penalty shootout victories in the Chibuku Super Cup.
The latest triumph saw them come from behind against Simba Bhora last week to draw 1-1 before securing the win on penalties.
Appointed just a few weeks ago with the sole mandate to keep the club in the top flight, Kaindu, a practicing pastor, is unfazed by the monumental task ahead. He insists his faith will be the guiding
force in their fight for survival.
“It’s not my responsibility alone [to save Dynamos], but most of the time everything goes down to the coach,” Kaindu said.
“I’m a man of faith and I believe and I trust in God. Slowly, we are seeing a bit of life. We only hope that we don’t get carried away.”
The former Highlanders coach has been encouraged by his team’s recent performances in the two Chibuku Super Cup games against Yadah and Simba Bhora that preceded a 1-0 win over title-chasing MWOS.
While he wished the Chibuku Super Cup victories had been league matches to help their standings, he acknowledges that winning the domestic Cup could still offer a significant prize — a
spot in the Caf Confederation Cup.
“God does wonders,” Kaindu said.
“He qualifies the unqualified. From the performance that I’ve seen, I’ve seen a lot of quality, a lot of potential. What we need to do going forward is to just give the players confidence to believe in themselves that we can do it. If we can beat a team like Simba Bhora that has been consistent, it shows that we’ve got the pedigree to fight.”
He also pointed to another major positive from their recent cup win – the team’s ability to score a goal during regulation time.
“For us to get a goal, it brings a lot of excitement in the team,” he said.
“We haven’t been celebrating for quite some time, and I have told the players that if we score, let’s celebrate our goal hard.”
After the Kwekwe trip, Dynamos host GreenFuel before playing title-contender Scottland.
As Dynamos prepare for their make-or-break run of games, their new coach is banking on more than just training and tactics.
For Kaindu, the team’s fight for survival is as much spiritual as it is a sporting one.
Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matchday 25 fixtures
Tomorrow: Scottland v ZPC Kariba (Rufaro).
Saturday: Chicken Inn v Manica Diamonds (Luveve), MWOS v Simba Bhora (Ngoni), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Bikita Minerals (Baobab), GreenFuel v Herentals (GreenFuel Arena).
Sunday: Caps United v Yadah (Rufaro), Triangle v Fc Platinum (Gibbo), Highlanders v TelOne (Barbourfields), Kwekwe United v Dynamos (Ascot)
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