daniel chigunwe
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
DYNAMOS’ Ghanaian import Frederick Ansah-Botchway says the overwhelming love from the Glamour Boys family helped him settle in early as he felt to be part of the huge family.
The holding midfielder gave the Harare giants a lot of balance for the better part of the opening half of the season before he was grounded by an injury. Once he was pushed on the side-lines, Dynamos missed and struggled to play with the same mojo they had before his injury.
That allowed eventual champions Simba Bhora to pull away from them.
Ansah-Botchway did come back, though, and was of great influence as Dynamos muddled their way to defend the Chibuku Super Cup, which gave them a ticket to represent Zimbabwe in the CAF Confederation Cup for the second year running.
The industrious midfield grafter had a huge hand in the final, where he scored the equalising goal against Ngezi Platinum Stars to force extra time and penalties from where Dynamos emerged victorious. Not underestimating compatriot Emmanuel Paga, who was there for company, the former Hearts of Oak man said it is the love that he got from the Dynamos family that helped him play with so much authority each time he was in the field of play.
“Firstly, I am happy to be in this setup. I am happy to have spent my first season with Dynamos and winning a trophy with them,” said Ansah-Botchway.
“When I came here, it was always my desire to win something with Dynamos at the end of the season. The love that I got from this family right from Day One was amazing. When you walk in the street, they want selfies, and you get that satisfaction feeling to be in their company. At the team, it’s the same; everyone is always happy to have you around. “The love is second to none, and you ought to perform well for everyone to try and repay their love. Ever since I stepped here, it is the love that stands out.
“It makes me very happy. It is amazing. To be in this setup for the first season and to win a cup in my first season, I am very encouraged.
The Chibuku Super Cup trophy will definitely give me more wings to fly for the team. I am very happy. I have never lost a cup final, as I won all the finals I played in when I was still with Hearts of Oak in Ghana, and it’s good I also managed to score, and we ended up winning the final for my record to stay intact.”
Botchway still has a year on his contract with Dynamos, but reports suggest he could be on his way to mega-rich Premiership newcomers Scottland.
The latter are on a mass recruitment drive, having reportedly already secured 21 signatures as they aim to make an instant impact in the domestic top flight.
They are weaning off most of the players who did duty when they won the Northern Region Soccer League this year.
