Silver Strikers coach Peter Mponda has come declared that after the first round success, it was obvious that they were favourites to land the 2024 TNM Super League title.
The coach has all along refused to say if the Bankers, who are unbeaten in 27 matches and have been top of the table since the first round, are in comfort zone.
But on Wednesday, he came out of his shell and declared they are poised to win the title after sailing to a 2-0 victory over relegated Baka City FC at Silver Stadium in Lilongwe to move to 61 points.
Silver have opened a seven-point gap between them and second-placed Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, who gave up a 2-0 lead to draw two-all against Mafco at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Wednesday.
With Wanderers have dropped two vital points, just a point from the final three matches to win championship.
Silver have 17 wins and 10 draws, and have scored 52 goals.
The Nomads on the other hand, have won 16, drawn six and lost five, scoring 54 goals and conceded 16 to register the same goal difference as Silver.
In a post-match interview, Mponda said after staying 29 weeks at the top, tomorrow’s match against Wanderers will just be a formality.
He said: “We say the title race is still open just out of respect. But the fact is that it was concluded way back after the first round.
“We are going to Blantyre to play the team which is supposed to be in contention, but went on to draw at home instead of winning to put pressure on us.”
However, Wanderers interim coach Bob Mpinganjira has vowed to fight to the end despite needing a miracle to upstage the Bankers.
“We have a game on Saturday against Silver. We’ll try to win so that we see what happens next,” he said.
After tomorrow’s match, Wanderers face Creck Sporting Club on December 4 before wrapping up the season against Moyale Barracks on December 7.
On the other hand, Silver’s remaining fixtures after Saturday are against Fomo FC on December 4 and Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos on the last day of the season.
