FCB Nyasa Big Bullets teams are back on the training field preparing for the 2024 season.
While the youth and women’s teams regrouped a couple of weeks ago, the men’s first and reserves squads resumed training this week.
FIRST TEAM
The men’s senior team will open the 2024 campaign on 30 March with the NBS Bank Charity Shield fixture lined up against last year’s TNM Super League runners-up, Silver Strikers.
Kalisto Pasuwa’s side had a delayed 2023 term that ended last month instead of December in a season we conquered to sweep all domestic silverware.
The People’s Team won the first-ever quadruple under head coach Kalisto Pasuwa after defending the TNM Super League championship to win it for a fifth year in a row under the Zimbabwean.
Pasuwa also guided his side to a second successive FDH Bank Cup triumph before winning the inaugural Castel Challenge Cup and reclaiming the Airtel Top 8.
On Wednesday, the 2023 TNM Super League Coach of the Season started his first day of preparations with almost all the squad members he kept at the end of the previous season.
Our latest signings Lloyd Aaron, Innocent Nyasulu and Babatunde Adepoju, who rejoined the team from Venda Football Academy on a season-long loan deal, were all available as we started gearing up for the 2024 season.
Chikumbutso Salima and Yamikani Mologeni, who returned to the club at the end of their one-year loan spells at Bangwe All Stars after they were promoted from the reserves to the first team in 2022, have also arrived alongside Chrispin Mapemba, the fresh teenage graduate who just earned promotion to the senior team.
Kenyan defender Clyde Senaji, who travelled to his home country after agreeing to a two-year contract extension in January, is expected to join the rest of the squad at the end of this week.
The squad will undergo a few days of tests in Blantyre before a planned pre-season outing away from the city.
RESERVES
Enos Chatama’s side, having finished in third place in the 2023 ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League, also resumed training in preparation for the upcoming new campaign of the Premier Division in April.
WOMEN
Bullets women’s team, which finished as runners-up for the 2023 FAM Women’s Southern Region Football League, has been on the field since last month gearing up for the FAM Women’s National Championship that is expected to begin next month.
Maggie Chombo’s ladies will be looking to battle for the national women’s football trophy after surrendering the regional cup to Ntopwa Women.
YOUTH
After missing out on the FCB Under-19 Cup to finish the 2023 campaign trophyless, our developmental side has also returned to the training field preparing for the Africa Herbal Mix Cup which is slated to kick off on 1 March.
INJURY UPDATES
Despite returning for pre-season preparations, five of Pasuwa’s squad members will not fully participate in the preliminary stages of training due to injuries.
Goalkeeper Clever Mkungula, defender Alick Lungu and midfielder Frank Willard are expected to travel to Zimbabwe for medical treatment. The trio sustained knee injuries last season.
Captain Precious Sambani and Precious Phiri have been given one week to recover from muscle and foot injuries, respectively, and the duo is expected to be fully back in training next week.
Midfielder Mike Mkwate, who underwent successful surgery to his right leg at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital in November last year, is still recovering and will not play any role until he recovers.
The attacking midfielder suffered a complete tibiofibular in June during the launch of the Castel Challenge Cup in Lilongwe.
Bullets Women’s midfielder Zainab Kapanda, who has been on the sidelines for several months due to a knee injury, had a successful surgery in Zimbabwe last week.
