Ekhaya’s trial by fire: July was giants’ gauntlet and a club’s defining month

The relentless drumbeat of the TNM Super League brought Ekhaya Football Club to a crucible in July, a month that will surely be etched as the most punishing in their burgeoning history.

The “Cowboys” faced the unforgiving gauntlet of all three of Malawi’s traditional giants, alongside a formidable military side, in a true test of their mettle.

Narrowly beaten 1-0 by both FCB Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers, Ekhaya still managed to showcase their burgeoning class by demolishing Moyale Barracks 3-0 at home. Yet, this fleeting triumph was overshadowed as their unfortunate July culminated in a bitter 3-1 defeat to Silver Strikers – a month, no doubt, they’ll fervently pray never to endure again.

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Before this brutal run of four matches, Coach Enos Chatama’s side had been comfortably ensconced in the top three. But as July mercifully drew to a close, they found themselves slipping to a still respectable 5th on the log table, with one crucial game remaining to conclude the first half of their ambitious campaign.

Prior to July’s seismic shifts, Ekhaya had lost only two of their first 10 matches. The recent trio of defeats from their last four games, though perhaps anticipated given the colossal opponents, represents a significant dent. Their home record boasts five wins from seven matches, while they’ve secured two victories on the road. Tellingly, both their home defeats came at the hands of Bullets and Wanderers, alongside three away losses.

The unvarnished truth: Ekhaya are below-par compared to giants, but not broken

Pressed on the profound meaning of losing to all three traditional giants, Enos Chatama offered a refreshingly unvarnished truth, acknowledging that his club is unequivocally “below-par” when compared to the established elite.

Chatama has judiciously distanced his team from comparisons with Bullets, Wanderers, and Silver, a shrewd move to avoid piling undue pressure on his developing players. Indeed, Ekhaya approached these titanic clashes with a deep reverence for their opponents.

Both Bullets and Wanderers, despite their vaunted attacking arsenals, famously failed to unlock Ekhaya’s defense in the first half of their encounters. Bullets eventually found the net from a set piece, while Wanderers relied on the sheer individual brilliance of Gaddie Chirwa, whose distant arrow unerringly beat Elias Missi.

Ekhaya, pragmatic and respectful, approached all three games with a defensive mindset. Snaring even a single point from any of these monumental fixtures would have been a commendable achievement. While they largely contained Bullets and Wanderers, they offered tantalizing glimpses of their attacking quality in the latter half against Silver, hinting at a fiercer future.

“We lost to Bullets, Wanderers, big teams. We have also lost to Silver today, they are a good team, the defending champions,” Chatama declared. “We have to congratulate Peter Mgangira and his team; we displayed a good performance but goals win games. It has shown that we are below-par as compared to the three teams.”

Chatama emphasized that “Ekhaya is a project.” He added, with an air of unyielding determination, “We will polish up the mistakes and we believe that we will be able to battle with them in the next two or three years.”

Ekhaya, a club barely two and a half years old, harbors audacious dreams of ascending to become one of Malawi’s footballing titans. In their inaugural season in the elite league, merely surviving relegation was their paramount objective—a feat they are well on their way to achieving. This ambitious project, unequivocally moving in the right direction, desperately needs judicious additions, not just to solidify their league status but to propel them into contention for next year’s coveted Top 8 football.

Their scoring record stands at 15 goals in 14 matches, a sobering 12 goals behind the prolific Bullets, seven behind Wanderers, and six behind Silver. Yet, their defensive grit shines through: they’ve conceded only 9 goals, a mere four more than Bullets (5 conceded) and three more than Wanderers (6 conceded), boasting a demonstrably better defensive record than Silver (10 conceded).

The most pivotal acquisition Ekhaya should pursue is a prolific striker – a true fox-in-the-box who can consistently convert chances into goals. Landing an experienced defender is another astute move. The team’s fullback positions are, commendably, safe hands with Alick Lungu and Hemass Masinja.

Against Silver’s formidable defensive strength, marshaled by Nixon Mwase, Coach Chatama was compelled to introduce striker Clever Chikwata for Andrew Malisero, acknowledging his attacking force was simply not matching up. While Chikwata battled valiantly, he cannot be the singular striking spearhead if Ekhaya truly intends to challenge the league’s best.

The Silver Strikers clash was a masterclass in missed opportunities for Ekhaya. James Lumbe’s effort sailed wide of an open goal, an unmarked Chikwata rattled the outside of the right post from inside the penalty area, and other gaping chances were squandered in the second half.

Chatama, with candid honesty, admitted his team’s critical lack of a finishing touch. “There has to be balance in the team but I go back a happy man today after a good performance,” he mused. “In a lot of games, we have been defending very well and scoring one goal and winning the game, or missing chances and conceding a goal, losing the game. Sometimes we have to score; if we concede two, we have to score three.”

Learning the Hard Way: Errors and Resilience

The manner in which Ekhaya conceded goals at Silver Stadium was a stark lesson for a still-learning team. A defensive slip-up from a corner led to Silver’s opening goal. Chinsisi Maonga’s attempted cross saw Elias Missi misjudge the ball calamitously for Silver’s second. And then, Uchizi Vunga unleashed a thunderous strike from distance, nailing it for the home side.

They conceded from a painful combination of goalkeeping errors and defensive blunders. Compounding their woes, Andrew Lameck, who started as a defensive midfielder, was forced to finish the game as a centre-half. This was a consequence of traveling to Lilongwe with a depleted squad due to a raft of injuries: reliable defender Fanizo Mwansambo was sidelined by illness, Emmanuel Saviel’s season has been crippled by persistent injuries, and Christopher Gototo was barred from facing his parent club due to loan restrictions.

“We played better than Silver but goals win matches. We created chances but we never converted them into goals, and that’s what happens in a game of football,” Chatama reiterated. “We conceded from defensive mistakes and goalkeeping mistakes, but we have to accept, it happens. They have been our best players, especially the goalkeeper; he has been one of the best performers this season. He made two crucial mistakes which led to goals. We also conceded from outside the box, which is not typical of an Ekhaya team.”

Ekhaya showcased one of their finest performances of the season against Silver Strikers, particularly in the second half when they courageously embraced a more attacking approach. This bold shift could serve as the definitive benchmarkfor Chatama’s strategy when his Cowboys next face the titans of Malawian football.