FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves are the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League Group B winners following a 3-0 win over their cross-town rivals Mighty Wanderers Reserves on Friday afternoon at the Kamuzu Stadium.
Wongani Kaponya was the hero of the day, becoming the first Bullets Reserves player to score a hat-trick in the Blantyre mini-derby.
What happened
The two rivals had an even, but the young Maule demonstrated greater intent in their attack, earning two corners and registering a shot on target inside the opening 15 minutes.
Eventually, we were ahead as Kaponya opened the scoring with a super calm finish after being set through by brilliant service from his goalkeeper, Austin Chirambo.
With that goal, we were fueled up, and we struck again five minutes later through the same scorer. The visitors’ sloppy defending in the middle of their backline was quickly punished by Kaponya, who swiftly raced into the box before beating Vincent Mdoka in a one-versus-one situation.
From there, Enos Chatama’s boys became unruly, coming wave after wave, but most of their chances could only turn into near misses.
The young Nomads hoped for the halftime break as they failed to contain their rivals, who penetrated all channels with calculated speed.
Somehow, it was only 2-0 at halftime, as the visitors relied on their luck not to concede more.
Just like we started at the beginning, we were at full force at the restart, and just four minutes into the second half, we were 3-0 up. Francis Malikebu’s fine corner picked Mussah Bwanali at the far post. The centre-back headed it back inside, and Kaponya was again at the right place to nod it home.
Trying to limit the damage, Wanderers made some wholesome changes that looked to have an impact. They took possession and, for the first time, managed to pin young Maule in their half.
After displaying what they could do with the ball, our youngsters were made to showcase their ability to thrive off the ball. They did not shrink but stayed compact and watchful, forcing the visitors to always swing the play.
In the dying minutes, we unbundled ourselves and pushed forward into the final third to look for a fourth goal. We fashioned some excellent chances, but the scoreline remained the same until the referee, Mark Dzimbasekwa, blew the final whistle. 3-0, it ended.
Chatama post Mighty Wanderers Reserves.
“I’m happy to win the derby. It was a tough game. A game of two halves. We controlled, especially the first half. In the second, we did not tick a lot of boxes; the problem was the transition from the midfield to the attacking third. All in all, the boys did what we told them at the training ground. They defended very well; they were good on the break at some point. It’s a good win.”
What it means
With the 12th win of the season, our youngsters have 44 points after 22 games. That tally means we have won Group B of the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League.
Looking forward
With the group stage job well done, Bullets Reserves will now focus on the next stage of the competition, which will see eight teams battling for the top spot.
