FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Wedson Nyirenda has hailed his players’ determination after Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Blue Eagles sent The People’s Team back to the summit of the FDH Bank Premiership.
Second-half goals from Chawanangwa Gumbo and Ephraim Kondowe secured all three points at Mpira Stadium as Bullets returned to competitive action following a five-week midseason break.
The visitors arrived in Blantyre on the back of four successive league victories, and Nyirenda acknowledged that he had anticipated a difficult encounter against a side that had been in impressive form.
However, the Zambian tactician was delighted with his players’ persistence after a goalless first half, insisting their determination reflected the team’s championship ambitions.
“As I said in the pre-match press conference, I knew we would not find a lazy team. They deserved to be where they were before the match because they have been playing good football, and we could not make the mistake of underrating them or being complacent,” he said.
“Today, we have shown that we are a team fighting for the championship because the boys did not give up or surrender. They pushed for the three points, and we have the points with an exceptional performance.”
Nyirenda also admitted that the lengthy midseason break had affected the team’s rhythm, despite Bullets ending the first round with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Silver Strikers.
With the match goalless at half-time, the coach encouraged his players to keep pushing for a breakthrough, confident that their persistence would eventually pay off.
“I don’t think the players were complacent, but this break was too long. A mid-season break is supposed to be two weeks, but we had to stay five weeks without playing within the season. It was like an off-season within the season,” he explained.
“I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and at half-time, I just encouraged them to keep pushing, and you saw what happened.”
Nyirenda was also impressed with Tinaye Tsimba, who made his competitive debut after replacing Kondowe in the 75th minute.
The Zimbabwean forward came close to scoring twice in added time, with Blue Eagles goalkeeper Precious Masamba producing a superb save to deny him his first competitive goal for The People’s Team.
“He had a few minutes, but was very effective, and you all saw how he caused mayhem inside the Eagles’ defence. I am very impressed,” he said.
The victory lifted Bullets to 33 points from 16 matches, one ahead of Mighty Wanderers, who defeated Silver Strikers 1-0 on Saturday.
Having reclaimed top spot, Nyirenda is determined to keep his side at the summit but expects an even tougher challenge as opponents look to test the league leaders.
“We aim to stay top, and we cannot just give away the position to others. We are going to make sure that we keep our seat up there,” he said.
“It won’t be easy because everyone will be on us. Now that we are on top, everyone is seeing us, and they will throw everything at us. We just have to be ready for any challenge.”
Bullets will now turn their attention to an away fixture against MAFCO FC as Nyirenda’s men look to build on Sunday’s victory and maintain their position at the top of the standings.
