Wedson Nyirenda believes FCB Nyasa Big Bullets are showing greater cohesion and character as he continues rebuilding the side towards ambitions beyond the domestic game.
Bullets head into Sunday’s FDH Bank Premiership meeting with Luanar Mitundu on the back of successive victories over Chitipa United and Karonga United, with clean sheets accompanying both results.
For Nyirenda, the encouraging part of that run is not simply the six points collected, but the way the team is beginning to function as a unit.
Asked what had pleased him most about the back-to-back wins and clean sheets, the head coach pointed to improved communication and a stronger connection between the different areas of the team.
“I think it is the organisation. We have improved so much in communication and in the way the defence is cooperating with the midfield. All the departments are firing well. We are defending as a team and attacking as a team,” he said.
“The goalkeeping department is also doing a very good job. Coach Rabson Chiyenda is a very serious man and deserves credit for the work he is doing. I think we are looking good and we are looking ready.”
That collective progress has been matched by decisive contributions from across the side.
Bullets followed the 2-0 home victory over Chitipa with a 1-0 win away to Karonga last weekend, where Ephraim Kondowe converted Yamikani Mologeni’s delivery to settle the contest.
Asked about the growing influence of players in different areas, Nyirenda highlighted several individuals while stressing that the improvement extends across the group.
“The boys have changed tremendously, and we have seen improvement in the way we go forward with the ball and the pace we are using.
“Looking at young Misheck Billiat, he is giving us something special in terms of advancing forward. Yamikani Mologeni has already won three Player of the Match awards,” he explained.
“We also have the captain, Blessings Mpokera, leading the group, and we have seen Ephraim scoring goals for us.
“He had gone through a little drought, but now he has come back with that goal from Mologeni’s delivery.
“I think there has been a lot of improvement. Like I have said, the players are getting better every day.”
Nyirenda views that development within the wider process of shaping the squad to meet the standards he ultimately wants Bullets to reach.
When asked how satisfied he is with the current group, the head coach reiterated that the work remains ongoing, with the development of existing players running alongside continued scouting and recruitment.
“We are still building. I have always said scouting and recruitment are the only constant things in football.
“If you stop scouting and recruiting, then the team is dead,” he said.
“Every day you have to scout and think about who is going to come in, at what point and in which position. Our scouting continues because we are still building this team.
“Like I always say, I am not looking at a team that is only going to be champion in Malawi. We do not want to be local champions. We want to be champions in Africa.
“Every day we are moving in that direction. We want to go where other people do not even think they can swim. That is where we want to go.”
That ambition gives wider context to Nyirenda’s belief in the project, with immediate results in the Premiership forming part of a longer-term process to raise the team’s competitive level.
The head coach was also encouraged by the resilience his players showed in Karonga, where Bullets protected Kondowe’s first-half goal to secure maximum points in demanding conditions.
“We went into a game where all systems were against us, but the boys stood firm.
“The character that the players have assumed now is giving us something great,” he said.
Bullets now return to Dedza Stadium for the second time this season to face eighth-placed Luanar in our final away fixture of the first round.
Nyirenda’s side sit third with 26 points from 13 matches, level with second-placed Mighty Wanderers and two points behind leaders Silver Strikers.
Kick-off on Sunday is at 14:30.
