Silver Strikers have opened a seven-point gap over second-placed Mighty Mukuru Wanderers with three games to go before wrapping up the season following their 2-0 win over relegated Baka City FC at Silver Stadium on Wednesday.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers suffered a huge setback for their title challenge as they were held by Salima-based Soldiers, Mafco FC at Kamuzu Stadium as they settled for a two-all draw while FCB Nyasa Big Bullets were held by Civil Service United at Civo Stadium in another game.
Silver move closer to Dreamland
The Central Bankers are sniffing the revived, rebranded and reformed TNM Super League championship as they are flying higher. Silver Strikers will just need a draw in their next league assignment following Wanderers’ slump against Mafco FC in Blantyre.
Charles Chipala and Stain Davie scored at both ends of the first half for the hosts to extend their unbeaten run to 36 league games and chase the invincible season.
Off the back of a barren stalemate against holders, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers were looking for three points which could propel them closer to their silver year. Baka City FC were on a three-game unbeaten streak beating FOMO FC and drawing against Dedza Dynamos and Dedza Dynamos Football Club.
The hosts showed the intention of carrying the day with early promises. Silver Strikers could not keep their fans waiting as they forged ahead in the 16th minute through the former Dedza Dynamos striker, Charles Chipala who pounced on Uchizi Vunga’s ball.
The heavy downpour undoubtedly affected the play. It wasn’t the day for Binwell Katinji who missed two good chances, to no one’s surprise, he was hooked off by Peter Mponda just after 20 minutes with Stain Davie replacing him.
The former TN Stars striker’s impact was instant as he stretched the lead for the Bankers just before the break for Silver Strikers to steal a two-goal advantage at the recess.
The restart was delayed as the pitch was waterlogged. The second half restarted with the hosts looking for another goal and Chimwemwe Idana saw his goal ruled out for offside. With their play affected by the condition of the surface, both teams embarked on a ping-pong style of play but results remained the same.
The Bankers have collected 61 points from 27 games, equalling their 2017’s total tally of 61 points. They have already beaten their 2023 tally of 57 points, 2022 tally of 51 points, 2021 tally of 55 points.
Heading into this weekend’s nail-biting encounter against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, the Bankers are hunting for a draw to win the race.
We won the league in the first round- Peter Mponda
Peter Mponda, Head Coach for the Bankers has admitted that Silver Strikers slightly struggled in the second half. Mjojo said the work was already done in the first half of the season.
Silver Strikers finished the first round draft with 37 points, scoring 24 goals and they had breathing space over Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets. They had 11 wins and four draws with only Moyale Barracks holding them to a goalless draw.
“We were not scared, though Mighty Mukuru Wanderers were coming after us. We worked hard in the first half of the season,” says Peter Mponda. “I have been saying that we are not under pressure, they [Mighty Mukuru Wanderers] were playing at home, and they were supposed to win the game and put pressure on us, but it is what it is.
“In the second half, we struggled but the players were eager to win games. We still have to play games and we will need to go to Blantyre to play against Wanderers.”
After playing Wanderers over the weekend, Silver Strikers will play against Friends of Mulanje Orphans, FOMO Football Club away and will host Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos Football Club at Silver Stadium.
Mafco fades Wanderers’ title hopes
The Salima-based Soldiers, Mafco FC have faded Mighty Mukuru Wanderers’ title hopes in the last three minutes of the game that was played at Kamuzu Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
After winning three games on the bounce, the Nomads were hoping to beat Mafco FC and keep their title hopes alive. Their ambitions were in line in the first half as they took the lead through Lawrence Chaziya who bundled home Francisco Madinga’s ball early in the game before Isaac Kaliati scored his 15th goal of the season.
After taking a two-goal advantage in the first half, Wanderers came out in the second half in good spirits with Isaac Kaliati and Francisco Madinga missing their efforts from free-kicks.
Mafco FC used the last four minutes to turn the game around. Timothy Silwimba fouled Joseph Mbewe for a penalty which Auspicious Kadzongola scored in the 87th minute and then Francis Black released advancing Bernard Chimaimba to level the scores in the 90th minute.
The draw leaves Mighty Mukuru Wanderers seven points from the top and they will need to beat Silver Strikers this weekend to stay in the race.
We are not yet conceding defeat in title race- Bob Mpinganjira
With three games to go before wrapping up the season, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers interim coach, Bob Mpinganjira said they are not giving up on the title race.
“Not yet conceding the defeat on the title race.”
“We still have games to play, we will try our best to win the games and see where we are going to finish at the end of the season.
“It was a very bad game, we dropped two points which is very bad for us. Every time you make a change, you think of making something better but sometimes it doesn’t work. Today, it has not worked.
“We haven’t played the way we do, in the second half, we dropped deeper, inviting pressure from Mafco FC and they scored two goals. A very bad result for us,” he said.
Mafco FC Coach, Jimmy Mzunga said the halftime talk fueled the players to fight back in the second half and force a 2-all draw against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers.
“We had a very bad start to the game, lost concentration, Wanderers were a better team, they utilized their chances and scored two goals. We had a very good talk before the game with the players but we didn’t start the way we wanted.
“We talked with the player at halftime and they fought back in the second half. It happens in football, our friends took the first half and we took the second half, in the end the game ended 2-all,” he said.
After playing against Silver Strikers this weekend, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers will face CRECK Sporting Club and Moyale Barracks away from home.
Civil fight back to frustrate Bullets
Civil Service United had to be at their very best to frustrate FCB Nyasa Big Bullets at Civo Stadium on Wednesday. The Servants battled back from 2-goals down to level up the scores and snatch a vital point which is vital for their top 8 football chase.
The Servants started the match brightly, but the visitors absorbed the pressure for just a short time before taking control of the game with their winger Chikumbutso Salima being constant threat to the Servants’ backline, and in the 17th minute, his darting runs into the penalty box dragged Masiya Manda into a foul.
With Babatunde Adepoju not in the pitch, Nickson Nyasulu took the responsibility and he converted the penalty to give the visitors an early lead.
As the rains returned, the pitch quickly deteriorated, turning the contest into a scrappy affair. Both teams abandoned tactical precision for a direct approach, creating a game of half-chances that saw the visitors hold a slim lead heading into halftime.
After a 90-minute rain delay, efforts to clear water from the pitch allowed the game to resume. Bullets capitalized on their early momentum in the second half, doubling their lead in the 48th minute through Kondowe’s header from a well-executed corner kick.
Civil, however, responded decisively with a triple substitution in the 52nd minute, bringing on Chikaiko Batson, Kelvin Kadzinje, and Horace Mchoma. The changes proved pivotal as Batson struck in the 62nd minute, converting a long-range effort deflected into his path.
The home side continued to press, and in the 80th minute, Batson completed his brace with a composed finish from Matthews Hamuza’s pass. Both teams made late substitutions, but the scoreline remained 2-2 as the final whistle blew.
The result leaves FCB Nyasa Big Bullets in third place with 46 points from 27 games, while Civil Service United sit in fifth with 43 points from 29 games. Both teams will look to build on this result as the league nears its conclusion.
