Shire FC Attribute Defeat to Silver Strikers to ‘Silly Goals’

Shire FC suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Silver Strikers at Civo Stadium on Thursday afternoon, crashing out of the FDH Bank Cup round of 16.

The Central Region Football League side, formerly known as Panthers FC, were hoping to repeat last season’s heroics when they shocked the football world by defeating several heavyweight teams in the Castel Challenge Cup.

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Most notably, they eliminated Silver Strikers at Silver Stadium on penalties following a 2-2 draw in regulation time, and also knocked out Mafco, Civil Service United, and Chitipa United.

However, their cup dreams were extinguished early when Binwell Katinji opened the scoring with an early goal before doubling the lead near the end of the first half.

Katinji completed his hat-trick in the second half after converting a penalty, and Andrew Joseph added a fourth with a brilliant strike. Vincent Mark managed a consolation goal from the penalty spot for Shire FC.

Speaking after the match, Head Coach Katchika Jere attributed the defeat to defensive lapses in the first half.

“We played well, but we lost the game. This is cup football – we just have to go back to the drawing board and correct our mistakes,” Jere said.

“We conceded some silly goals due to miscommunication between the goalkeeper and defenders, and that cost us dearly. Silver Strikers were well-prepared for us because we beat them last season. Had they lost again, it would have been a different story.”

Jere acknowledged that squad changes had impacted the team’s performance this season. Around eight players from last season’s squad departed to join Super League clubs earlier this year, but the coach remains optimistic about the rebuilding process.

“We lost about eight players who moved up to Super League clubs, but we’re still working on developing this team. We’ll get to where we want to be,” he explained. “Playing against big teams like Silver Strikers is always beneficial – you gain valuable experience.”

Despite the disappointment, Shire FC can take pride in their remarkable cup runs and the development pathway they’re providing for players to reach higher levels of Malawian football.

Pictures courtesy of Madolo