FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Head Coach Peter Mponda has expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress since taking over as head coach earlier this year.
The People’s Team have collected 40 points from 17 TNM Super League matches and claimed the Airtel Top 8 Cup trophy. However, their home form at Kamuzu Stadium has been less convincing compared to their impressive away record.
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Bullets have won six of seven home fixtures but boast an even better away record with seven victories from nine matches on the road. Their home performances have included some concerning lapses, most notably the dramatic 3-3 draw against Karonga United where they surrendered a 3-1 lead.
On Saturday, Bullets were expected to return to Kamuzu Stadium for the first time since that Karonga United encounter when they host Dedza Dynamos. However, the game has been postponed. The match would provide an opportunity to maintain their position at the top of the table, especially with title rivals Mighty Wanderers not playing until Sunday against Silver Strikers at Silver Stadium.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday ahead of the fixture, Mponda dismissed suggestions that his players struggle with pressure when playing at home.
“We are in a good place,” Mponda told reporters. “Yes, we have dropped points at Kamuzu Stadium but that’s also helped us in away games. We have reached 40 points after 17 games. In 2023, when we won everything, we had 40 points after 19 games. It’s not about pressure at home.”
The coach highlighted the positives from the Karonga United performance despite the disappointing result.
“Everyone was very happy with how we played in the first 70 or 80 minutes [against Karonga United]. It’s just the last 10 minutes when things changed,” Mponda explained. “But that was the best performance of the team since I arrived here as head coach, and it was unfortunate that results didn’t reflect that. We were encouraged by the performance, how we created chances and dominated play.”
Bullets’ current points tally compares favorably to their remarkable 2023 campaign under Kalisto Pasuwa, when they completed a historic clean sweep of all five domestic competitions: the NBS Bank Charity Shield, TNM Super League, Airtel Top 8 Cup, FDH Bank Cup, and Castel Challenge Cup.
The team will be looking to build on their strong start to the season and address any home form concerns as they pursue another successful campaign under Mponda’s guidance.
Watch the full press conference here
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