FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves finished the first round of the 2024 ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League with a 1-1 draw against their cross-town rivals Mighty Wanderers Reserves at Mpira Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Edward Kamba’s early strike won the first half for the young Nomads before Prince Chalera equalized after the interval.
Match highlights
What was their seventh Blantyre mini-derby this season, rolled out with swords rattling right from the start.
Looking very much at home, the hosts did not take long to take the lead, scoring five minutes into the match through Kamba’s clever header.
The response from our boys would be positive. Four minutes after conceding they were on the other end with Misheck Biliati stretching the hosts’ goalie Vincent Mdoka with a decent effort.
Since being stunned by an early goal, Enos Chatama’s boys would dominate the tie until the halftime break, restricting the young Nomads to limited moments.
Keeping up their late first-half momentum, Bullets keenly pushed for a goal since the restart. We were level 16 minutes into the second half, thanks to Chalera’s cool header after being assisted by Zaneel Jussab’s sumptuous delivery.
For the remaining part of the tie, both teams tried to introduce fresh legs but although action became end-to-end there was nothing to separate the two sides at full time, 1-1 it finished.
What it means
Sunday’s result means that Bullets Reserves are set to finish in third position with 18 points from 11 games, just a point behind current Group B leaders Ekhaya United.
Second-placed Ntaja Rangers now have the chance to win the group should they collect all the points in their final opening-round match.
Coach Chatama after the match
“It was a good game. The only problem we conceded an early goal and we were disorganized in the first ten minutes. We struggled to move the ball from the midfield going forward.
“We fixed that, second half we played good football. We missed a lot of chances. We could have won this game. Unfortunately, we cannot get the results right now but we are going in the right direction. We have had four back-to-back draws, something which does not suit this team. All in all, the boys put up a spirited performance today, it was all good. “
Looking ahead
Our reserves will now have a two-week break before resuming their Group B campaign.
