Creck thrive in post-Kamwendo era, storm into top eight

Creck Sporting Club are proving there’s life after Joseph Kamwendo. The Lilongwe-based side secured their second win in three matches under interim coach Harry Saidi, edging MAFCO 2-1 in a spirited comeback at Chitowe Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Despite conceding early, Creck showed grit and character to fight back through Frank Phiri and Hussein Hassan, sealing a third consecutive win over the Salima-based soldiers in as many meetings.

MAFCO drew first blood in the 17th minute when Prince Kachere finished off a swift counter-attack orchestrated by Awalu Ali. The goal came slightly against the run of play, as Creck had enjoyed the brighter start with early chances from Stain Patrick and Aaron Chilipa.

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But the lead didn’t last. Just four minutes later, Frank Phiri equalized after being teed up by Arnold Kiyama, silencing the home crowd and shifting momentum back in Creck’s favour.

From there, the visitors pressed high and showed purpose. Jauma Edward forced Owen Mbale into a full-stretch save on the half-hour mark, but the breakthrough came soon after when Hussein Hassan slotted in the second goal following a clever assist from Patrick.

Despite late pressure in the first half—MAFCO nearly pulling level through Yohane Malunga—Brighton Munthali stood firm between the sticks to keep Creck in front.

The second half began with MAFCO pushing hard for an equalizer, but their efforts were blunted by a resilient Creck backline. Auspicious Kadzongola blasted a golden chance over the bar in the 47th minute, and an hour in, MAFCO thought they had drawn level through Sunganani Geoffrey, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Both sides made changes to inject fresh legs—Daudi Saiti and China Chirwa came in for the hosts, while Ademola Ajibola and Kondwani Chilembwe replaced the industrious Hassan and Kiyama for Creck.

Saiti nearly made an instant impact but fired wide, while further substitutions saw Chifundo Moloseni, George Chaomba, Misheck Botomani, and Harvey Nasiyaya introduced to manage the game in the dying moments.

Despite a few nervy moments late on, Creck held firm and walked away with all three points.

Speaking after the match, Creck interim head coach Harry Saidi expressed relief at the result, though he admitted his team dropped their standards after halftime.

“It’s a sweet victory. It was a tough match, and coming from behind shows the boys’ character. But I’m not too impressed with how we played in the second half. MAFCO were very physical, and we didn’t manage that well—but what matters is we’re walking away with three points,” Saidi said.

MAFCO head coach Stereo Gondwe was visibly frustrated and bewildered by his team’s ongoing struggles.

“This was a very painful defeat. We gifted them the goals. After scoring first, we were careless and suddenly found ourselves behind. We kept pushing and even thought we had equalized, but it was ruled out. Right now, I honestly don’t know what’s going wrong,” said Gondwe.

The result lifts Creck Sporting Club to eighth place on the TNM Super League table, with 11 points from eight games (three wins, two draws, three losses). MAFCO, meanwhile, continue to struggle and sit 12th with just six points from seven matches, having lost five of them.