Masters FC coach Peter Mponda says he expects a tough contest against struggling Goshen City Dedza Dynamos this evening at Bingu National Stadium despite his side’s determination to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat to Silver Strikers.
The tactician said the loss to the Bankers, which led to the team to slid to third positon on the table, had motivated his players to respond positively as they seek an immediate return to winning ways.
Said Mponda: “Everyone is motivated to come back stronger. Yes, we dropped three points against Silver Strikers. We needed that early in the season so that we should know that we are competing with big boys.
“But the way the boys have responded. I’m impressed because I was not expecting a reaction from the way they have reacted from that game. They are really looking forward to the game. They want to get back to winning.”
The former Flames captain predicted a difficult encounter, saying both teams are under pressure to produce results.
“This is a very difficult game because the Dedza players know their coaches were given three games to win and they just lost the first, and they want to fight for their coaches. Even the coaches themselves know they have to get something from this game.
“That’s why I’m saying it will be a very difficult game, but we are playing at home and we are coming from a loss. We really need to get quickly back to the winning ways,” said Mponda.
On his part, Dedza Dynamos coach Alex Ngwira, who os under pressure after just collect a point from four matches and at the bottom of the table, expressed satisfaction with his team’s preparations.
The tactician said he expects his players to translate their good training form into match performance.
“Our players are responding well and we are seeing movement and goals during training sessions. This is what we are anticipating to see during the match.
“As we always say, the game is the total examiner for players’ understanding. We are just there to see how much they have gained from whatever we have been imparting on them,” said Ngwira.
The match will be under floodlights but Ngwira dismissed concerns that his players are not used to playing in such conditions.
“We are not playing in darkness. We are using floodlights and that light is similar to daylight that we are used to. The boys shouldn’t find it very different as long as they are seeing the movement of the ball,” he said.
The Dedza Dynamos mentor also appealed for continued support from the club’s followers.
“We need them. Let them still rally behind this team. It is a pride to the supporters who rise up and give them what they need,” he said.
