Silver strike down Chitipa United

* Still perched on 3rd position with 50 points with three games left to wrap up the season

* Defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets at the top with 53 points with six more games left to play

* Tying on points with Mighty Wanderers, who have three games left to wrap up their season

By Wakisa Myamba, MANA & Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express

Silver Strikers on Wednesday edged out Chitipa United 1-0 to end Chitipa’s unbeaten home run in the 2023 TNM Super League.

It was the Bankers’ 14th victory out of 27 games played and are still on 3rd position with 50 points while Chitipa United have lost nine games out of 27 played and are on 4th position with 44 points.

At the top are defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets with 53 points, tying with Mighty Wanderers, whom they meet on Saturday in the great Blantyre Derby.

The Silver Strikers-Chitipa United game started on a slow pace as both teams were not settled to make proper coordination until the third minute when the visitors started making fierce attacks and penetrating through the hosts’ defence which looked weak and disorganized.

In the 7th minute, joy came for the Bankers as Maxwell Paipi scored the lone goal after receiving the ball from a corner taken by Duncan Nyoni.

In the second half, both teams made a number of substitutions but Chitipa United failed to produce tangible results.

In a post-match interview, Silver Strikers coach Pieter De Jongh was pleased with the results, saying his charges played very well and were dedicated.

However, he complained about the status of the Karonga Stadium, saying the pitch is not good for Super League matches.

On his part, Chitipa United coach McDonald Mtetemera said his players lost the game due to fatigue, saying: “We prepared to win the game, but due to fatigue, players failed to control the game and failed to create more chances.

“We cannot travel two days, have training one day and play the game. That is too much for the players,” Mtetemera said.

In another midweek match, Red Lions hammered Ekwendeni Hammers 1-0 through a goal from Humphreys Minandi in the 55th minute but the result was not enough to take them out of the red relegation zone.

At position 15, they share 28 points with fellow military side, Moyale Barracks (14th) but separated by goal difference with 16th-placed Extreme FC assured of relegation as they have just 18 points with two games left to conclude their 2023 league season.

Above Red Lions, who have three more games to play, are Ekwendeni Hammers with 30 points from 27 games — also with three more games to play — tying on points with Civil Service United, who are left with four more games.

Though tying on 53 points, second-placed Mighty are left with three more games while the defending champions are left with six more games to play and have the chance of winning the league with two games in hand if they beat their next three opponents and draw one.

From the three consecutive wins they might win — including Saturday’s derby — the People’s team shall garner 63 points.

If the Nomads win on Saturday as well as the other remaining two, they shall amass 62 points and with the Bullets winning their remaining five — that is after losing on Saturday, they shall also garner 68 points.

Mighty Wanderers coach Mark Harrison — in an interview with Wa Mpira Sports last week — rightly said: “The league is in Bullets’ hands but it’s up to them to lose it.”

On Wednesday, the Bullets beat a resilient non-league side, Lipulumundu Stars 2-0 to reach the last 32 of the Castel Challenge with goals from Thompson Magombo and substitute Chawanangwa Gumbo.

Coach Kalisto Pasuwa told nyasabigbullets.com that it was “definitely a very difficult match against an unfamiliar opponent”, adding that his biggest challenge is to manage injuries and fatigue of the players.

After a thrilling five goal match that earned the Bullets a 3-2 win over Kamuzu Barracks coming from a goal behind, coach Pasuwa praised his charges that despite showing some signs of fatigue — due to a fixture pile-up following their involvement in four tough competitions that included CAF Champions League and local cups in the past three months — they still are delivering.

In the past three months, the Bullets have played 18 games in the TNM Super League, CAF Champions League, the FDH Bank Cup and the Airtel Top 8 and Pasuwa told nyasabigbullets.com: “The team is tired and you can’t expect anything good from them.”

Their resilience will definitely have to go to another level on Saturday against their sworn arch rivals, Mighy Wanderers at the Kamuzu Stadium.