Bullets to Miss Babatunde as They Begin Castel Cup Campaign

It is an undeniable fact that FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will sorely miss Babatunde Adepoju, who has left the club following the expiry of his loan deal. The towering striker returned to his parent club, Venda Academy in South Africa, after his contract expired on December 31, 2025.

Bullets will now be without their hitman in the 2025-26 Castel Challenge Cup, which they are kicking off this afternoon in Karonga against Songwe Border FC.

Babatunde has been an integral part of the club since joining from Mighty Wanderers in June 2021. In three full seasons at Bullets, he topped the club’s scoring charts each time. Only in his first year did another Bullets player outscore him. In 2022, he was the club’s top scorer before leaving for South Africa in 2023, then returning in 2024 and 2025.

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In 123 games, Babatunde racked up 100 goal contributions—72 goals and 28 assists—across all competitions. He bowed out after winning the 2025 TNM Super League golden boot award, which he shared with teammate Chikumbutso Salima after both scored 15 goals.

When Babatunde left for Venda in 2023, Bullets won four trophies without him. Lanjesi Nkhoma, who is now playing for TP Mazembe, stepped in and topped their scoring charts that season.

Nkhoma’s emergence proved that Babatunde’s departure was a blessing in disguise. He scored in the Airtel Top 8 Cup final against Mafco, the FDH Bank Cup final against Mafco, and the Castel Challenge Cup final against Silver Strikers. He also finished as the club’s top scorer in the Super League with 14 goals.

The question now is: who will fill Babatunde’s boots? It’s no secret that Bullets have several strikers at their disposal who might be clever enough to seize this opportunity.

Ephraim Kondowe, Hassan Kajoke, and Maxwell Gasten Phodo are the main strikers who remain at the club.

The situation is complicated by transition at the coaching level. Bullets are currently without a permanent coach after sacking Peter Mponda. Gilbert Chirwa is working as interim coach until the end of the Castel Cup, with the club intending to appoint a new coach by the end of this month.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference ahead of their Castel Cup opening match against Songwe, interim coach Gilbert Chirwa admitted his team will miss Babatunde but challenged the remaining players to fill the gap.

“I should commend Babatunde [Adepoju]. He is a good player who has contributed a lot to this team. Of course, we will miss him, but we have played games without him before,” Chirwa told the press. “We have other strikers who can step up. The best way to remember his contribution is to win the game in Karonga.”

Chirwa said cup games are always difficult but urged his players to put up a gallant fight and get a result from the North.

“We know that playing cup games is always difficult. In knockout competitions, you don’t undermine your opponents,” he said. “It won’t be an easy outing for us. We have emphasized the importance of this game. Songwe are a stubborn team at home, but we are ready to fight for a win.”

Songwe finished the 2025 Super League at the bottom with just six points from 30 matches. They won one game, drew three times, and lost 26 games. In those 30 matches, Songwe scored just 10 goals while conceding 77.

However, the Karonga-based side’s assistant coach Edwin Kaonga said yesterday that success in the national cup competition could provide huge relief after being relegated from the TNM Super League. He promised his team will fight like wounded buffaloes.

This season, Songwe have already lost twice to Bullets, including a 3-1 defeat in the Super League last August. But Kaonga believes they can turn the tables with home support.

“We know Bullets are giants, but we are determined to live our dream. We are playing at home, where our players are motivated by the support from our fans,” he said.

“After being relegated from the Super League, winning this cup could be a huge relief. We will do our best to secure victory at home this Sunday.”