A dream year for Mzuzu City Hammers, enjoying a positive start to the season. A limping year for FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, enduring a torpid start to the season. The Northern Region-based side is facing a reality check as they have a mountain to climb with defending Champions standing in front of them.
The Iron Boys are looking to close the gap with leaders, “flying” Silver Strikers who are playing on Sunday against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets are itching to close the gulf with Bankers as they are six points adrift the leaders. A win for the Hammers will see them going level on points with Peter Mponda’s side while a victory for Kalisto Pasuwa will be crucial in their hunt for his sixth straight league championship.
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Elias Chirambo’s side sits second on the table with 13 points from six games while the People’s Team have been forced out of the top five with Mighty Waka Waka Tigers’ 4-1 hammering win over struggling rookies, Baka City FC on Thursday. Bullets are sixth with 10 points from six games.
Can Hammers’ positive start give them the confidence to force matters?
Mzuzu City Hammers changed the name in 2024, and their usual start to the season changed too. The gulf between the traditional big three teams and the rest previously looked harder to break, are Hammers, and Kamuzu Barracks moving to make a mockery of the assumption?
The 2024 TNM Super League has started with glimpses of promises, Mzuzu City Hammers are one of the teams that are performing better, sitting second, three points shy of the league leaders, Silver Strikers.
On Sunday, the Iron Boys claimed a huge victory over Kamuzu Barracks at Mzuzu Stadium, thanks to Isaac Msiska’s strike that denied the Soldiers the chance to go second on the table and stay within two points off the leaders.
A sense of positivism and confidence linger in Hammers’ team when playing. Chimwemwe Chunga, the team’s Captain, and Lungu are pumping the team from midfield.
Isaiah Nyirenda and Isaac Msiska have formed a good combination as two strikers in Chirambo’s 4-4-2 formation, their exchange of positions during games proved to be tough for the opponents to stop. The pair has scored five combined goals with Msiska scoring four.
Mzuzu City Hammers waited until the last two games to confirm their survival last season. They finished with 36 after winning just 9 games the whole season.
Hammers are competing at elite level for the fourth time. The Northern Region Football League has been producing stronger teams for the last 10 years with three of them establishing themselves. Karonga United stayed, Hammers stayed, and Chitipa United stayed but Baka City are looking to be moving like a toddler.
Under Etson-Kadenge Mwafulirwa, Hammers in 2021 did wonders, they finished 9th in their maiden season with 41 points winning 11 games. They had a great start to the season but this season is better.
The Hammers kicked off their life in the elite league with a 1-0 defeat to Kamuzu Barracks but they beat TN Stars, Silver Strikers, and Mighty Tigers in four weeks. After playing six games, they had collected 10 points.
In 2022, after six games, they had collected 9 points after losing once, drew thrice, and two wins. They started with a win over TN Stars before losing to Big Bullets. They recorded stalemates against Mafco FC, Sable Farming, and Mighty Waka Waka Tigers. They finished 10th that season with 34 points.
In 2023, Hammers lost two games, won two, and drew two games from their opening six matches. They had 8 points. The Northern Region-based side kicked off their season with two back-to-back draws against Kamuzu Barracks and Moyale Barracks before losing to Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and Silver Strikers. They beat Mafco FC and Chitipa United to mark off their campaign.
Hammers will need to push further beyond their limits. They have never won against Bullets, suffering six straight defeats before a 1-all draw last season at Rumphi stadium when Bullets were pushing for their fifth consecutive league championship.
City Hammers have shipped 13 goals in their last four visits to Kamuzu Stadium, 2-0, 3-1, 4-0, and 4-1 have been the defeats for the visitors away from home. Should they do it against all odds, they will become just the first team away from Blantyre to inflict a defeat on Bullets since Silver Strikers in 2011 as the hosts have been bossing a league home record with only their City rivals, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers beating them 1-0 in 2021.
Despite the good record over Hammers, Kalisto Pasuwa knows that the visitors are in a good position to cause a nightmare saying, “For Mzuzu City Hammers to be in second position, it means something to them this year. They have been playing some good football, and also we need to treat them with some respect to come up with points.”
Pasuwa is not shaken after a difficult start to the season, but calls for the players to up the game
For Big Bullets to go above Silver Strikers, they pray for two defeats to their fellow title chasers, who are scoring for free.
Wa Mpira was moving down to Kamuzu Stadium, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets hosted a winless and struggling Baka City. A group of Bullets enthusiasts converged outside the famous venue. “We haven’t started well this season but maybe because we have started with teams that give us torrid time,” one supporter mumbled.
Kalisto Pasuwa is enduring a torpid start to the season since stepping up as Bullets Head Coach in 2018. Still unbeaten in their opening six matches alongside leaders, Silver Strikers, and rivals, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers.
Currently, the defending Champions sit 6th in the league, 6 points adrift of the table-toppers, Silver Strikers just a month and a half into the new season.
After a dream 2023 season where they bagged all trophies home, a historical quadruple, Bullets were hoping to have a good start to the season coupled with the seven new signings before the start of the season.
They have won the league five times consecutively, in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 and the last time they failed to win the league, they had a difficult start to the season. After 6 games, they had collected 10 points like it is this season. They suffered two defeats from their opening six fixtures, 1-0 to Moyale Barracks, and 2-1 to Blue Eagles.
They had three wins, Epac FC, Blantyre FC, and Mzuni FC with one draw against Chitipa United. Total points 10. In 2018, they had 5 wins in their opening six, beating KB 1-0, Moyale Barracks 2-0, Nchalo United 2-1, EPAC FC 2-1 and TN Stars 4-0. They drew against Wanderers. Total points 16
In 2019, they had four wins, 1 defeat, and one draw from six opening games. They beat TN Stars 4-0, Ntopwa 4-1, Civil 6-0, Moyale Barracks 2-1. They lost 2-1 to Blue Eagles and played 1-1 against the Tigers. Total 13 points.
In 2021, they had four wins, beating Civo 2-1, Hammers 1-0, 2-0 Tigers and 3-0 MZUNI. They played two draws against Wanderers [1-1] and 0-0 against Mafco FC. Total 14 Points
In 2022, the Bullets chalked four wins from their opening six games. They beat Wanderers 2-1, 3-1 Hammers, 1-0 Dedza Dynamos, 1-0 Mafco FC and two draws against Karonga United [0-0] and Blue Eagles [1-1]. Total 14 points
In 2023, they had four wins from six games. 4-0 against Mafco, 3-1 against Moyale Barracks, 1-0 against Extreme, and 2-0 against Bangwe. They played 1-1 against the Civil and Silver Strikers. Total, 14 points.
“We will do our best [to return to our usual performance] but so far, everything is alright. However, we need to push further to be on par with others,” Pasuwa injected a hope of speech into the supporters.
Since the start of the season, Kalisto Pasuwa is yet to name his strongest starting Xi with six players yet to return to the squad due to injuries.
The Club’s defending midfielder, Frank Willard, first choice left-back, Alick Lungu will wait until June before playing again for the team after undergoing surgery in Zimbabwe earlier this year.
No player at Bullets has managed to start in all the six games that the team has played so far. Collin Mujuru has started all but one game as he missed the Blantyre Derby after sustaining a knock against Baka City.
Kalisto has admitted that persistent injuries are affecting tie combinations of his players as he is forced to make changes every game.
“We still have some boys who are still injured,” said Pasuwa. At least eight players are expected to miss this fixture with Ephraim Kondowe still in POP after sustaining an injury in the Blantyre Derby, Clyde Senaji Navade is all out, joining Frank Willard, Clever Mkungula, Alick Lungu, Mike Mkwate, Chikumbutso Salima.
The Zimbabwean gaffer still feels that he didn’t have proper preparations before the season started this year but hopes to pick up as the season keeps on unfolding.
“We are starting off the season, we wouldn’t talk much about the points dropped. We have been saying, the season will end after playing 30 games. So far, as a coach, looking at how we have fared, yes of course we need to push up for us to be on par with others.
“We must not look much at what other teams are doing in their camps. So, for one to play well at the start of the season, it depends on how he prepared during the Pre-season. If you had injuries to your team or anything that was affecting you, then you consider all these factors for one to talk about the performance of the year,” he added.
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