FCB Nyasa Big Bullets return to FDH Bank Premiership action on Saturday when we welcome Silver Strikers to Mpira Stadium for our final fixture of the first round.
The contest arrives with the leading positions finely balanced. Silver sit top on goal difference with 29 points, level with Mighty Wanderers, while Bullets are fourth on 27.
Peter Mgangira’s side have built their position around the division’s strongest defensive record, conceding only five goals and losing once across their opening 14 matches.
Ahead of a fixture that could reshape the top of the table, we examine Silver’s recent trajectory, the form behind their rise to the summit and the players central to their campaign.
Recent History
Silver entered the current campaign looking to restore their position at the summit after finishing third in 2025.
They had won their ninth league title in 2024, collecting 67 points to end an 11-year wait for the championship.
Mgangira took charge following Peter Mponda’s move to Bullets ahead of the 2025 season, guiding Silver through a campaign that combined cup success with another challenge near the top of the league.
The Central Bankers collected 64 points from 30 matches, finishing five behind champions Mighty Wanderers and two behind runners-up Bullets after recording 18 victories, 10 draws and two defeats.
They also won the Charity Shield and FDH Bank Cup, giving Mgangira two trophies during his first season in charge.
Although their league title was surrendered, Silver retained one of the competition’s strongest defensive records. Only champions Wanderers conceded fewer than their 18 goals in 2025, and that solidity has remained central to their current campaign.
Current Form
Silver lead the FDH Bank Premiership on goal difference after collecting 29 points from eight victories, five draws and one defeat.
They have scored 23 goals and conceded five, keeping nine clean sheets along the way.
Their campaign began with successive victories. Festus Duwe scored twice in a 2-0 win away to Kamuzu Barracks before Andrew Joseph struck a brace as Moyale Barracks were beaten 4-1 at Silver Stadium.
A 1-0 defeat away to Blue Eagles in Matchweek 3 remains their only setback.
Silver responded with a 3-0 victory over Masters FC and have since gone 11 league matches without defeat.
That sequence initially brought a goalless draw with Mighty Wanderers, a 1-0 win over MAFCO and a 1-1 draw away to Civil Service United.
They then defeated Red Lions 3-0 before being held to a goalless draw by Chitipa United in the Northern Region.
A 4-1 home victory over Karonga United was followed by a 1-1 draw away to Luanar Mitundu, where Zebron Kalima scored their goal.
Nickson Mwase then struck in a 1-0 victory away to Creck Sporting before Kalima scored twice from distance in a 3-0 home win over Ekhaya.
Their final assignment before the league break ended goalless against Goshen City Dedza Dynamos at Silver Stadium.
Silver therefore arrive at Mpira Stadium unbeaten in 11 league matches, having conceded only four goals during that sequence.
Their attacking output has been spread across the squad, with 11 different players contributing to their 23 league goals. Duwe leads the chart with five.
Against Bullets
Bullets hold the historical advantage across the previous 24 league meetings between the sides since 2013, recording 10 victories to Silver’s four, with 10 draws.
That advantage was reinforced last season when we completed a league double over the then-defending champions.
Our campaign began with a 1-0 victory at Bingu National Stadium before second-half goals from Ephraim Kondowe and Hassan Kajoke overturned a deficit to secure a 2-1 win at Kamuzu Stadium in the reverse fixture.
Silver had collected four points from the two meetings in 2024, following successive 1-1 draws between the sides in 2023.
Key Players
Festus Duwe
Duwe is Silver’s leading league scorer with five goals and provides an important link between their midfield and attack.
He opened the campaign with both goals against Kamuzu Barracks before adding further strikes against Moyale Barracks, Masters FC and Red Lions.
His ability to carry possession through central areas, move beyond the forward line and arrive inside the box gives Silver an additional attacking dimension.
Those forward runs will require close attention whenever the Central Bankers progress into the final third.
Zebron Kalima
Kalima has taken on greater creative responsibility following Uchizi Vunga’s departure.
Direct in possession and capable of operating across the attacking line, he can stretch opponents from wide areas or move inside to create shooting opportunities.
His brace from distance against Ekhaya highlighted the threat he carries when afforded space around the penalty area.
Kalima was also on target in the draw away to Luanar and remains one of Silver’s main sources of attacking invention.
Innocent Shema
Shema has been an important figure in a defensive unit that has conceded only five goals and recorded nine clean sheets.
The defender offers strength in aerial contests, recovery pace and the ability to protect space behind the backline.
He also presents a threat from attacking set-pieces, as demonstrated by his two goals in Silver’s 3-0 victory over Red Lions.
Saturday therefore brings together the division’s two strongest defensive records, with Silver conceding five goals and Bullets seven across the opening 14 matches.
With the sides separated by only two points, their meeting at Mpira Stadium provides a significant conclusion to the first round.
