After an eight month-long season, the TNM Super League culminated in tears and heartbreak for Silver Strikers who, at some point, were bossing the log table while FCB Nyasa Big Bullets were busy with CAF Champions League games.
How did they lose out to a Bullets side that had to juggle four competitions this season, including the grueling CAf Champions League and the FDH Bank Cup, which the Bankers exited at the earliest stage? These are the questions that will still be going through the minds of everyone affiliated to the Area 47 based side.
The two title contenders headed into the final day of the season with just a three-point gap between themselves, with Bullets having an edge following their important 1-0 away win over Karonga United last Wednesday.
But why did this happen? Pieter De Jongh’s charges had all the opportunity in the world to end their ten year title drought, but they bottled it due to their inconsistent approach to matches.
When Bullets lost 1-0 to Chitipa United in Karonga, The Bankers rose to the top of the summit, thanks to their hard-fought 1-0 win over Mafco FC at Bingu National Stadium.
For the next five weeks, they cemented their position, and with Bullets excused from playing domestic games due to their Champions League games, De Jongh was certain that this was their year.
But things took an ugly turn when they played two two goalless draws to Dedza Dynamos away and to Mighty Tigers at home.
They were hit with injuries to Patrick Macheso and defender Emmanuel Kaunga. And to make matters worse, Chimwemwe Idana, who has been very instrumental for them, was involved in a contractual dispute with the club and he had to miss seven games.
De Jongh made it clear that Idana’s absence cost them the title, saying “an important player to my team shouldn’t have missed seven important games”.
Others would have a different opinion on what the head coach said, but going by the statistics, Idana’s absence was a final nail in Silver’s quest for a league silverware.
For example, the former Bullets Captain only featured for 21 games but created more assists and scored seven goals. What would have happened if he had played all the games for the Area 47 based side?
In the second round, a defeat away to Red Lions, Bangwe All Stars, a home defeat to Dedza, and a goalless draw at home with Extreme FC saw them falling from the throne of grace and handed the championship advantage back to Bullets who, by then, were involved in Champions League games and the FDH Bank Cup.
And when Bullets resumed their league games, they began clawing back the deficit to Silver when they crashed out of the Champions League. They recorded important wins over Bangwe, Civil Service United, Kamuzu Barracks, Chitipa United, and Moyale Barracks.
By then, De Jongh’s men dropped into the third position due to their draws away to Moyale Barracks and Mafco FC.
But they were given relief towards the end of the league when Bullets failed to win all their four games in a row, including a 1-0 defeat away to Dedza.
This gave Silver a chance to move into the second position, dislodging Wanderers who failed to beat Tigers on the same day that Bullets lost their second match.
The Bankers recorded a last-minute winner over Kamuzu Barracks to move level on points with Bullets.
Their hopes were to see Karonga United beating Bullets at Karonga Stadium, a venue that the defending champions struggle to get points.
This hope was crashed by Patrick Mwaungulu, who netted in the 7th minute to claim all the points for Kalisto Pasuwa’s charges heading into the final match against De Jhong’s men.
Now, mathematically, the Lilongwe based side was still in the title race, but they needed to score more than four goals without conceding in order to get take the championship away from Bullets.
This was a mission impossible considering that Bullets were unbeaten at home, and the last time they lost to Silver was years ago, and to concede four goals was very unrealistic.
But how was the title lost?
The Bankers were inconsistent. They shouldn’t have failed to get all the points when they hosted Chitipa United, Extreme FC, Dedza Dynamos, Tigers, and Civil.
The key secret to winning the championship is to cement your dominance at home and beat these other so-called small teams at any cost.
But gifting four points to Dedza, three points to Red Lions, three points to Bangwe All Stars, and a point to Extreme FC was just a clear indication that they were not ready to challenge Bullets for the title.
The People’s Team, even though they dropped some points at home, made sure not to lose at home. They successfully completed their mission by avoiding defeats to fellow title contenders.
Had it been Bullets lost to Wanderers or Silver, one of the two contenders would have snatched the title away from them. But they made sure to collect two points each from Wanderers and Silver, and the job was simplified when Silver beat Wanderers at BNS.
The Bankers bottled it when it mattered most. At a time when they were supposed to deliver, they dropped unnecessary points and handed back the advantage to Bullets who, after rising to the top, never surrendered the position to anyone else.
Failure to sign a striker
De Jongh’s failure to bring on board a striker also cost them the title. The Bankers’ highest scorer in the league is Patrick Macheso, who netted ten goals, seconded by Stain Davie with nine goals. There is no way a team can challenge the title without a proper striker.
In his first press briefing, he made it clear that he wanted Hassan Kajoke at all cost. When this deal failed, he went for George Chaomba as a plan B. But in all honesty, Chaomba isn’t the type of a striker to give De Jhong what he wanted.
Chaomba’ signature was just a desperate move, but he wanted Kajoke or Clement Nyondo. Had it been he had one of the two men in his camp, Silver wouldn’t have dropped unnecessary points in games that they created plenty of scoring opportunities.
With a skilled midfielder like Idana, chances of converting the opportunities into goals were high, but he didn’t get his targets, and he has paid for that.
Their only hope now is the Airtel Top 8 and the Castel Challenge Cup, but the wait to end the championship drought continues. And if they have the same approach next season, expect Bullets to outsmart them again and again.
They had all the tools at their disposal to end Bullets’ league dominance, but they didn’t know how to use them.
The difference between Bullets and other teams is the winning mentality amongst players. Bullets players don’t give up. They fight for the badge, and they always set their eyes on the top prize. Their motivation is driven by the desire to win more and create their own history.
