FCB Nyasa Big Bullets completed the month of July on top of the TNM Super League, and with one game to go before wrapping up the first half of the season, we have all the opportunity to finish top of the standings going into the second round of the championship.
In the month gone by, the defending champions played four Super League games and one in the FDH Bank Cup, winning three and drawing two, scoring ten goals, and conceding two, with two players walking away with individual accolades.
We take a look at how Maule performed in July…
Wanderers 0-0 Bullets
This was the first match in July. We were hosted by our cross-town rivals, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers in the Blantyre derby at Kamuzu Stadium.
The much-anticipated derby ended goalless, with Bullets registering another draw in as many games in the 2023 season.
Bullets 3-0 Blue Eagles
Our next assignment was a home match against last season’s runners-up, Blue Eagles.
Without four key players who were with the senior Malawi national team in South Africa for the Cosafa Cup in Durban, Kalisto Pasuwa’s men faced a stern test against the Area 30 police officers, who were eager to turn things around following a bad start to the current campaign.
Yamikani Fodya opened the scoring in the first half, before two second-half strikes from Hassan Kajoke and Ephraim Kondowe, who scored his first league goal for The People’s Team.
Fodya was named Man of the Match whilst Clever Mkungula kept his second clean sheet in a row, having also been in the starting XI against Wanderers.
Bullets 2-2 Dedza Dynamos
In the third week of July, we hosted Dedza Dynamos. It was one of the most difficult matches for Pasuwa in which his charges had to come from behind to draw 2-2.
Clement Nyondo had given the visitors a first-half lead before McFallen Mgwira’s equalizer just five minutes into the second half.
The visitors then restored their lead through Limbani Phiri, but Kajoke pulled level from the spot. The match ended 2-2 for Bullets to drop points for the first time at home this season.
Balaka 0-3 Bullets
Maule were then on the road to Balaka for the FDH Bank Cup round-of-16 tie against Balaka FC.
A dominant display by defending champions saw us book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition for a third consecutive season following a 3-0 hammering of the home side at Balaka Stadium where Patrick Mwaungulu opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark.
Nickson Nyasulu then doubled our advantage immediately after the hour-mark, before Hassan Kajoke completed the scoring in the 77th minute to book us a place in the next phase of the FDH Bank Cup.
Bullets 2-0 Karonga United
The People’s Team returned to Kamuzu Stadium for our final match in July when we welcomed Karonga United in the TNM Super League.
A strike in each half from Kajoke and Lanjesi Nkhoma handed us a deserved 2-0 win over the Northern Region-based outfit to move to the top of the summit with 29 points from 14 games.
Nkhoma was named Man of the Match and Richard Chimbamba kept another clean sheet of the season after retaining his place in the starting XI coming from the previous tie away in his home district where was also started.
Summary
Four games
Three wins
Two draws
Ten goals scored
Two goals conceded
Four clean sheets
Two players were awarded Man of the Match accolades.
