We are down but not out: Samaita

03 Nov, 2017 - 00:11 0 Views
We are down but not out: Samaita GreenFuel coach Lloyd "Samaita" Mutasa is chasing history with the Chisumbanje outfit

The ManicaPost

Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS coach, Lloyd ‘Samaita’ Mutasa, says the defeat to Ngezi Platinum was a setback in their Castle Lager Premiership title aspirations, but there is everything to fight for in this riveting contest for championship. Dynamos will face Chapungu this weekend, while log leaders, Ngezi Platinum will make the long trip to Bulawayo to face relegated, yet tricky Bantu Rovers. ZPC Kariba play host to Norman Mapeza’s FC Platinum.

Be that as it may, during the 15 years that he has been a coach, the former Tanganda midfield maestro, Mutasa, has continuously proved that he is good at building and improving teams, but strangely he has not lasted so long to enjoy the fruits of his labour by winning the most coveted accolade in any league – the championship. The Glamour Boys slumped to third position on the table after the away defeat, while Ngezi, on the other hand, moved to the summit of the log standings with 60 points, only separated from second placed FC Platinum by goal difference.

In the match against Ngezi at Baobab Stadium in Mhondoro, it was only after eight minutes of play in the second half when Qadr Amini put Madamburo in the lead before Xolisani Moyo doubled the advantage two minutes later. The much anticipated blockbuster league encounter was, however, marred by crowd trouble, forcing the game to be stopped at some points. However, Mutasa told Post Sport that his team is down, but not out of the Castle Lager Premiership title race. He said they only have to focus on the remaining matches hoping that the other competitors in the race will also lose points.

“It is a difficult situation which was complicated by our loss to Ngezi Platinum last Saturday. We should not have allowed them to get those two goals, but at the end of the day it is now water under the bridge. We cannot continue mourning over spilt milk. We just need to focus on the remaining matches with nothing, but maximum points in mind. We just have to win them all. In the same manner that we dropped points away at Ngezi Platinum, our competitors are also highly likely to drop points in the remaining matches and if we win our matches it makes life easier for us in this race,” said Mutasa.

Mutasa has coached Sporting Lions, Kiglon, Highway, Shooting Stars, FC Platinum and Dynamos, but has never won the league championship. Samaita, as he is fondly referred to by many, had a successful football career whose highest point was playing in the CAF Champions League finals with Dynamos in 1998. In his first coaching job together with Joe Mugabe, at Sporting Lions, they achieved a remarkable turnaround as the team stared relegation in 2002.

They won nine of the last 15 games they were in charge of. Mutasa has so far won the Swaziland Cup with Green Mambas, the COSAFA Under-17 gold medal as Rodwell Dhlakama’s assistant as well as a COSAFA Castle Cup runners-up medal as Klaus Dieter Pagels’ understudy in 2013. This year he won the COSAFA Castle Cup as Sunday Chidzambwa’s assistant. Only time will tell if 2017 will be the year he gets the big one!

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