JUST a few weeks ago, Dynamos seemed destined for the footballing graveyard, a club in terminal decline, suffocating under a cloud of miserable results and a lack of goals.
But in a stunning twist that has breathed new life into their season, the sleeping giants have finally woken up.
Four wins on the bounce, including two penalty shootout victories in the Chibuku Super Cup, a streak no one dared to dream of, have transformed the mood around the club.
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, there is genuine hope.
The swagger is returning, the belief is back and a sense of destiny hangs in the air.
Coach Kelvin Kaindu, the man who inherited this broken team, has performed a minor miracle.
He has taken a squad that seemed incapable of scoring, let alone winning a match, and turned them into a force, as evidenced by their 3-0 demolition of Kwekwe United last week.
The players are finally listening, the tactics are finally working and the fans are daring to believe in a great escape.
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“Every game is important to us looking at the position we are at,” a confident Kaindu declared at the team’s weekly pre-match Press conference yesterday.
“We have shown a lot of improvement, we have picked up points away from home, and we just hope that we keep up the momentum.”
Tomorrow, the real test begins when the struggling giants return home to Rufaro Stadium to face relegation rivals Green Fuel in a match that could be the defining moment of their season.
It is a relegation six-pointer, a winner-takes-all clash against a team sitting just five points above them.
A win would not only catapult them closer to safety, but would also send a powerful message to the rest of the league that Dynamos are not going down without a fight.
Green Fuel currently sit on 15th position, having won just one game in their last 11 matches.
Despite Green Fuel’s poor form, Kaindu is refusing to get complacent.
“They are very unpredictable,” he warned.
“On their day, they can create a lot of problems.”
Yet, he has every reason to be optimistic.
The team’s goal-scoring woes, once an embarrassment, seem to be a thing of the past.
Dynamos have scored five goals in their last three outings, a remarkable feat for a side that had only managed six in their previous 23 league matches.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Kaindu said.
However, the team’s poor goal difference of -11 remains a major concern, something Kaindu acknowledges as a potential tiebreaker that could seal their fate.
“Our goal difference is very pathetic,” he admitted.
“We need to improve on that, keep clean sheets and just hope that God is going to be on our side again and grant us that victory on Sunday.”
The road to survival is now a familiar one for DeMbare.
With eight of their remaining nine games set to be played in Harare, including a blockbuster derby against Caps United, Dynamos have a golden opportunity to capitalise on familiar territory.
The only game away from the capital left is a trip to Bulawayo to face Highlanders on matchday 31.
But there is a catch.
The hallowed turf of Rufaro, a ground that has seen countless triumphs and tragedies, is in a dire state.
Coaches have condemned the pitch as a danger to players.
“The big challenge is that the field is not in a very good condition to play all those games,” Kaindu admitted.
But for a team with their back against the wall, it’s a small price to pay.
As the Dynamos supporters prepare to flock to the stadium, there is a tangible feeling of hope.
The team, once a laughing stock, is now a symbol of defiance.
With every clean sheet and every goal, they inch closer to salvation.
And tomorrow, against GreenFuel, they will fight for their lives.
The great escape is on.
Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matchday 26 fixtures
Today: TelOne v Chicken Inn (Ascot), FC Platinum v Caps United (Mandava), Simba Bhora v Kwekwe United (Wadzanayi), Herentals v Scottland (Rufaro), ZPC Kariba v Triangle (Nyamhunga)
Tomorrow: Manica Diamonds v MWOS (Sakubva), Dynamos v Green Fuel (Rufaro), Bikita Minerals v Highlanders (Gibbo)
