New drive taking Dynamos forward
WITH their backs to the wall, Summerfield Dynamos have come out fighting for survival.
The Chatsworth-based ABC Motsepe League side are on a marauding run of four straight victories, a timely turn of form which has seen them climb into eighth spot on the table.
Just a few weeks ago they languished second from bottom after a challenging start in the third tier of South African football.
The man behind the turnaround is Ronnie Gabriel, who stepped in following the departure of coach
Falcon Rose last month.
Dynamos boss Collin Naidoo acted quickly when he learnt that Gabriel had been sacked by the National First Division (NFD) club, Uthongathi FC.
Gabriel said: “I got a call from the owner of Summerfield Dynamos,
Collin Naidoo, on the very day I was released from Uthongathi.
“They are football people and they wanted me to get involved in the project.”
The 42-year-old helped the NFD minnows gain promotion last season, but says “challenging factors” made it difficult for him to stay in the job.
“We were 11th on the table when I left,” he explained. “I brought the club to the NFD in just three years, but these things happen in football.
“I am not thinking too much about what happened there.
“Instead, I am excited by this new project. I have got the backing from the owner and management team and that means a lot.”
Gabriel holds a CAF A Licence – the highest football coaching qualification obtainable on the continent.
The man from Tongaat believes in an attacking brand of football, but found he could not use that tactic from the outset after assessing the situation at his new club.
“The team was leaking a lot of goals,” he explains.
“We had to organise ourselves at the back and ensure we don’t concede easily. Building a foundation was the first step.
“I also had to bring in a few players who could fill some gaps. It was important to beef up the squad.”
His intervention seems to have done the trick with Dynamos boasting three shut-outs in a row.
“I knew that our attacking pattern would be easier to build once our defence had stabilised. Now we are taking the game to our opponents.”
With five games left in the campaign, Gabriel is now targeting a top eight finish.
“I think it will be a remarkable achievement if we manage to do it. If we can get at least 10 points from the remaining games, I think that will be good,” he said.