FCB Nyasa Big Bullets coach Wedson Nyirenda expects a strong response from his charges when they face Chitipa United at Mpira Stadium in Blantyre this afternoon, following last fixtures’s shock 1-0 defeat to Goshen City Dedza Dynamos in FDH Bank Premiership.
Nyirenda missed the Dedza Dynamos match as he was in Zambia attending his mother’s funeral, but said he was kept abreast of developments at the club through his assistant Heston Munthali.
The defeat, the first for Bullets this season, was a setback, but Nyirenda believes they have addressed the shortcomings exposed in Dedza and are ready to bounce back.
He said: “After coming back, I found that the result was not the way that we envisaged to be. We lost to Dedza 1-0 and it was a setback for us. But I think we have made a lot of corrections.
“Heston, who I left everything with, was briefing me over everything that was happening from the trainings almost every day.
“We were communicating just to find out how the team is doing in training. I was not caught unawares because the reports were so clear.
“After we lost the game, I knew exactly where we were wrong. So the coaches did their part and we have made a lot of corrections in the team.”
The Zambian tactician said the team looked sharp in training ahead of today’s encounter and expressed satisfaction with what he saw.
Said Nyirenda: “I think this week we have looked very sharp. The team is looking good. We have just come from the field now and I think I was so satisfied with what I saw,” he said.
He identified lack of application and allowing Dedza too much space as some of the reasons behind the defeat.
“I think they said we didn’t apply ourselves as we ought to be. We gave too much room to Dedza to do what they wanted to do,” he said.
Bullets, are on position four with 20 points from 11 matches and victory in today’s match will see them moving into the top four and avoid a tie with fifth-placed Masters FC who have 17 points and host Civil Service United at Nankhaka Stadium in Area 30 Lilongwe.
Masters FC coach Peter Mponda believes his side can maintain their positive start when they host struggling Civil Service United this afternoon after holding defending champions Mighty Wanderers to a one-all draw in their last fixture.
Mponda said a two-week break had given his players an opportunity to recover, although he acknowledged that it may have disrupted the momentum they had built before the league went on recess to pave the way for Airtel Top 8.
He said: “Our preparations are going on very well. The guys are competing for places. The team is gelling. When we were starting the season, we were complaining that it’s always difficult to build a team and accumulate points.
“But we were lucky enough that we managed to collect some points early in the season while we were also building the team. That gave confidence to the team. I’m happy with the progress of the team and the way we are now. The guys are looking very good.”
Mponda, however, warned his players against complacency, saying Civil Service United’s struggles could make them even more dangerous.
He said the break interrupted Masters’ momentum but insisted they remain positive about collecting maximum points.
Said Mponda: “Maybe the break also helped them to recover. But we always have two sets to work on. It can also be a distraction that we were hitting our top form.
“The momentum was very good and the break has broken the momentum. But we are very positive about collecting three points against Civil.”
