Harare — Exactly nine years after their last home match in the African Champions League, domestic powerhouse Dynamos return to Gwanzura tomorrow hoping to revive the wild days and nights when they took their loyal fans down the road to Dreamland.

On October 24 1999 - before a crowd of just about 8000 fans at the National Sports Stadium - Dynamos played what effectively turned out to be their last home match in the Champions League for an age.

Little St Louisienne of the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, who had inflicted a shock 1-0 win over Dynamos in the opening game of the mini-league phase, were the opponents that afternoon. A combination of a lightweight opponent and a poor run -- in which DeMbare lost their coach Sunday Chidzambwa midway in the campaign after a home 0-2 loss to Esperance of Tunisia -- kept most of their fans away from the game. Not even a 2-1 win over reigning African champions Asec Mimosas two weeks earlier could spark the interest among the DeMbare fans and the majority stayed at home when they met St Louisienne.

What they missed was an incredible game of nine goals as a rampant Dynamos reserved their best for last with a seven goal haul to set a new record for the mini-league phase of the Champions League. A brave but outplayed St Louisienne struck twice but that was mere consolation for a club that had made a big splash by qualifying for the mini-league phase of the tourney and beating Dynamos.

But that inspired performance and the seven goals came too little, too late for Dynamos and there was no repeat of the heroics of the previous season when they went all the way to the final of the Champions League. Nobody knew it then but that was to mark the end of the Dynamos Champions League roadshow at home and - for nine years - DeMbare would disappear from the continental radar appearing once when they had a disastrous dance with the Confederations Cup.

Nobody knew it then but that match against St Louisienne was to mark the beginning of the end of DeMbare's flirtation with the aristocrats of African football -- the days and nights when they battled against the likes of Esperance, Al Ahly, Hearts of Oak, Shooting Stars and JS Kabylie. Nobody knew it then but that match against the Indian Ocean islanders was DeMbare's home farewell to a tournament that had become a part of their life and which, just 10 months earlier, could have produced a Zimbabwean winner.

Nobody knew it then but this was the beginning of the end of Dynamos as their fans had known this team all these years -- a standard bearer for Zimbabwe football. As the triumphant DeMbare players were saluted by their loyal fans for their demolition of the Indian Ocean lightweights, there was nothing to indicate that the wild party -- which had been rocking the country since the team's memorable run the previous year, had now run its course.

The general belief was that Dynamos would win the league again - as they had done with stunning regularity in the past three decades -- and the following season they would be back in the Champions League. But Highlanders -- with a little help from Amazulu and CAPS United - had their own plans and when Bosso won the league championship that year, it marked the start of an era when they would now rule the country.

It was the start of a glorious period for the country's oldest football club and they won four straight championships at the turn of the millennium -- equalled only by Dynamos' achievements just after independence when they also captured four straight titles.

When Bosso ran out of steam there were others ready to take over the baton and Amazulu won the big prize under Luke Masomere before CAPS United captured back-to-back championships under Charles Mhlauri.

For nine years DeMbare searched for a formula, battled for lost glory and fought to relive a golden past but there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

That was until last year when, finally, the gods smiled on them and Dynamos won the league championship to get a ticket back into the Champions League. Tomorrow they will play their first home match in the competition since October 24 1999. It will bring back a flood of memories -- memories of a golden period when Dynamos could claim to be the second best team in Africa, memories of the wild parties that erupted at the giant stadium during that campaign, memories of 60 000 fans at the giant stadium and memories of a successful past that had faded into the horizon.

Memories of that group of fans who hired a kombi to Maputo but encountered so many problems along the way they arrived in the Mozambican capital a day after the match against Ferroviario.

Memories of some heroes of those two good years who passed away during their period in the wilderness -- goalkeeper George Mandizvidza whose heroics in Mozambique set the tone for the adventure.

Club's founding father Josiah Akende -- who was the board chairman during those two good years -- before he passed away at the turn of the millennium to give the leadership torch to Richard Chiminya.

Time has moved on since DeMbare's last appearance in the Champions League. The North African teams have taken over the power base once again from their Western rivals, the Southern African teams continue to struggle and those who replaced them -- Bosso, Amazulu and CAPS United -- found the going tough.

None qualified for the mini-league phase. This has meant that while other countries are given two tickets for the Champions League on the strength of their teams' consistent solid show, we have to field only one team and start from the preliminary round. Now the torch has been passed one once again to the team that set the standards 10 years ago and the challenge on Dynamos is now to make up for lost time and make a big impression on the continent.

A hard-fought 1-0 win over Swazi champions Royal Leopards in Manzini set the tone for their campaign and should they finish off their opponents tomorrow, as is widely expected, then it will be back to the first round proper. A possible adventure into Mozambique and all those memories about that 1-0 win over Ferroviario in 1998, Claudius Zviripayi's priceless goal, Mandizvidza's priceless performance and the team's priceless courage.

Then - just like now - Dynamos did not have a very strong team but what they lacked in class they made up for it with their solid teamwork. The tricky part is to negotiate the early rounds where fitness concerns come into play and the coach is still trying out some combinations.

David Mandigora was not part of that Champions League adventure 10 years ago but his assistant David George was a member of that technical team.

He knows what is needed at this level of the competition.

In their last two competitive matches on the domestic scene against Highlanders, Dynamos have -- to be polite -- looked very ordinary.

They have struggled to play as a unit -- something that is probably expected at this stage of the season -- and they have also struggled for goals.

Scoring was a big problem for them last season and Sebastain Mutizirwa has lost both form and confidence he appears so lost he should be given three months off duty to recharge his batteries.

But a striker just needs one goal and his confidence shoots back.

It's unlikely Mandigora will trust Mutizirwa for goals so soon after his nightmare performance in Manzini and that should leave Lazarus Muhoni spearheading the attack once again.

He was ordinary against Bosso -- with little coming in aerial supply from the wings - and the sooner that the DeMbare wingers realise that Muhoni's biggest asset is his aerial strength and sharpness then the better the chances to get goals from him.

Edward Sadomba is back but with Benjamin Marere in great form, who plays on the right and who plays on the left is what Mandigora has to decide.

Otherwise the other positions sort themselves really -- Thomas Sweswe has provided strength in that defence while the return of former skipper Justice Majabvi provides stability in midfield. Then there is little Murape Murape - the heart and soul of a team that is trying to find a way back to the glory days when this midfielder was a rookie as DeMbare almost ruled the continent.

Gwanzura was in an appalling state on Sunday for the Nestle Champion of Champions Charity Shield final between Dynamos and Highlanders.

A lot of work has been done in the past week to try and improve the playing surface of the old stadium and it looks in a better shape. The compact nature of Gwanzura does not favour a team like Dynamos which uses wingers who use pace and need space for them to attack. That is why Dynamos have done far better at Barbourfields than at Gwanzura and it's something that Mandigora will have to sort out.

Nine years ago the last home game in the Champions League was in the wide spaces of the National Sports Stadium and it brought a haul of seven goals for DeMbare. Now the return to the big time will be at Gwanzura tomorrow and it's unlikely there will a nine-goal thriller this time.

During DeMbare's absence football has changed, the small teams like Royal Leopards have improved and become stronger and the games have become more competitive.

Tomorrow we will know whether Dynamos have really come back for a long dance with the aristocrats of domestic football or they are still trapped in the hangover that came with their lengthy stint in the wilderness.