In the next 48 hours the city of Blantyre will be divided into blue and red as cross town football rivals Mighty Wanderers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets clash at the Kamuzu Stadium in the first Blantyre derby of the 2025 TNM Super League season.
Only five points separate the two Blantyre Giants with Mighty Wanderers who are the home team this Sunday occupying second position with 13 points from 5 games, while their rivals are in fine form as they sit at the top of the log table with 18 points having won all of their opening 6 fixtures of the season.
So ahead of this highly anticipated early season derby clash we spared sometime to take a look at the key defining moments of this historic match.
Beyond a football match
History is told of how FCB Nyasa Bullets were born from Malawi’s oldest football club (Mighty Wanderers) which was founded way back in 1962 by some Portuguese migrants and the club has transitioned in names from the Yamaha Wanderers days to Limbe Leaf then Telecom Wanderers and now to just being called Mighty Wanderers.
However, four years after its existence some officials within the club’s hierarchy having conspired with some key players thought of an exit plan from the country’s oldest football club and 1967 marked the birth of Nyasaland Bullets which later became, Blantyre City Stars, Bata Bullets, Total Big Bullets, Bakili Bullets and now FCB Nyasa Big Bullets all this because of change in sponsorship.
That would now mark the beginning of this cross town bitter rivalry which returns to the field of play this Saturday.
From the days of Yasin Osman, Kinnah Phiri, Jack Chamangwana, Gilbert Chirwa, Meck Mwase, Bob and Albert Mpinganjira to the current generation, the Blantyre derby has always maintained its billing as Malawi’s most sought after football fixture come rain or sunshine.
Football fans have been treated to 58 years of Drama, Emotions and come this Saturday we should expect nothing short of that.
Hunger to impress
‘The feeling of walking out of the tunnel on derby day is extra ordinary. You expect to be treated to boos and jeers from a jam packed stadium’.
‘My case was exceptional. I first joined Mighty Wanderers before switching allegiance from blue to red where he would proceed to captain the Peoples team. The tradition in these two camps is different when it comes to derby matches but the common goal is for every one of us to win.
We have had stories of players skipping meals ahead of derby matches due to game fever.
Others withdrawing from the match day squad on the 11th hour as they can’t contain the derby pressure and that is what really defines the Blantyre derby.
Once you are named in the starting line-up, your mind completely switches. The focus is now on going out to represent the badge and you know how demanding football supporters are’, Recalls defender Pilirani  Zonda who had stints with both Wanderers and Bullets as he shared his derby history with Private owned Mibawa Television ahead of this Saturday’s derby.
Zonda’s derby experience was echoed by former Wanderers forward Wister Phiri who recalls how players would forego the club’s financial woes just to go out to impress during derby matches.
He recalls how as players they agreed not to lose a derby match again after a string of losses to their rivals and indeed they managed to achieve that feat through anger and determination.
‘This fixture has history and as a player you must go out there and protect that history. That was the message we players were communicating to each other ahead of the derby’, said Phiri.
Class vs form
Class is permanent and form is temporary so they say. With its long standing history, the Blantyre derby has shown that current form does not really matter and that should also be expected this Saturday.
Bullets might be cruising at the top of the table and that alone is a catalyst to this derby as their neighbours would like to play catch up.
Players to watch
With the derby coming after 8 weeks of action in the TNM super league, gives us a clear picture of who would be the kingmakers this coming Saturday.
We start with the home team.
Mighty Wanderers opened the first 2 weeks of the season by scoring 6 goals in 2 games and conceding 3 which was a worrying factor for a team harbouring serious aspirations of winning the league title but head coach Bob Mpinganjira seem to have rectified the problem of conceding goals willy-nilly as they have now just conceded once in their next 3 fixtures and goal being a last minute equaliser against Silver Strikers last weekend.
Key to that recent fine form have been defenders Emmanuel Nyirenda as well Stanley Sanudi and defending midfielder Blessings Singini.
In attack, Midfielder Francisco Madinga seems to have rediscovered his fine form and coach Bob Mpinganjira will be hoping that nimble left footed attacker will combine well with the pacy Wisdom Mpinganjira to keep the supply taps open for strikers Clement Nyondo and Promise Kamwendo to tap in.
As for Bullets, wonderkid Chikumbutso Salima has been a marvel to watch this season with his dribbling skills and scoring plus creating goals has not been a problem for the Academy graduate.
Coach Peter Mponda seem to have already made him the focal point of the team giving him all the freedom to roam around the pitch and this Saturday the Wanderers must be on the lookout for him.
Current leading top goal scorer Babatunde Adepoju has proven to being a thorn in the Wanderers flesh since he switched his allegiance from Blue to red and come Saturday he is one to watch for the reds.
Bullets’ strength has been their ability not to conceded goals having just concede once and that success can be attributed to the recent acquisitions of Andrew Jovinala and Blessings Joseph who have already formed a solid backline on their maiden season with the people’s team.
As the countdown continues, football lovers must be reminded of the man who made this derby interesting to date.
This year the football fraternity paid their last respects to one Yasin Titch Osman the very first player to have been bought from Mighty Wanderers to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets back in the days.
His transfer remains a record breaker on the local football transfer market and this derby the very first one since his device must be surely dedicated to this true son of Malawi’s football.
