By KALUMIANA KALUMIANA and SANDRA MWILA
POWER Dynamos coach Tenant Chilumba has said it is a big relief to have ended his month-long winless drought in the MTN-FAZ Super League.
Power beat relegation-threatened National Assembly 2-0 on Saturday at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe to pick up their first league win since August 29 when they beat Nkana 2-1 at the same venue.
Chilumba said in a post-match interview in Kitwe that he had not given up on the chase for the 2015 MTN-FAZ Super League title.
“It was a big challenge but of course now we are relieved and we will continue working hard until the last day,” Chilumba said.
“There is still pressure but we will continue pushing until the last day.”
Goals from Benson Sakala and Larry Bwalya in the 40th and 45th minutes, respectively, handed Power the win that kept them in the top three on 51 points and nine points behind leaders Zesco United.
Assembly coach Oswald Mutapa said he was not giving up on what were now seemingly their slim chances of surviving relegation.
“If you look at the way the boys are playing you even wonder how come they are down at the end of the table,” Mutapa said.
Meanwhile, Green Buffaloes coach, Bilton Musonda says his team is challenging for a second-place finish this season.
Musonda said in a post-match interview after beating 12-time league champions Nkana 2-1 at the weekend that his team could challenge for the second place.
He said the Nkana win was a bonus for the team and that if Buffaloes continued with the winning spree then a runners-up spot could be guaranteed.
“We are working extra hard as a team and if everything goes well we can challenge for second position,” he said.
Musonda charged that next season Buffaloes would be challenging for the league title after preparing adequately during the pre-season.
“Green Buffaloes is a big team and next season we will be challenging for the title, it’s been long since we landed ourselves the trophy,”he said.
Nkana coach, Aggrey Chiyangi said the 2015 soccer season had been a rebuilding year for the Kitwe giants and promised to be back in the groove next season.
Chiyangi said his team was making steady progress in the rebuilding process and promised that Nkana would be better in 2016.
“This season has been a rebuilding year, a number of players were released and we had to start again. Some of the players could not stand the pressure,” he said.
Chiyangi said he was disappointed with the loss considering that Nkana played well and created more chances than Buffaloes.
“In my opinion, Nkana played very well. We were in control of the game and also created many chances. My boys fought very hard and Green Buffaloes were also a good side,” he said.
He also singled out veteran defender Joseph Musonda as one player who was performing well and bringing stability to the game.
Chiyangi said Kayawe Kapota had also improved and worked extra hard after a chat with the technical bench.
“I am happy with Joseph. He is playing well and has brought some stability to the team. Kayawe has also improved, we talked to him and gave him advice which he has accepted and we are seeing change,” he said.
Meanwhile, demotion-haunted Napsa Stars are now banking on favours from other teams to survive relegation.
After losing 0-1 to Mufulira Wanderers at the weekend, Napsa coach Wilson Mwale charged that no team at the bottom of the log would win the remaining games.
“Mark my words, no team from the bottom will win the remaining games in the league but for Napsa we will win and survive relegation,” Mwale said.
Mufulira Wanderers coach Manified Chabinga said their target was to finish in third or fourth position.
Chabinga said the game against Napsa was tough, especially that they were playing a team that was fighting relegation.
“Our main objective was to survive relegation which we have done. Our target now is to finish in a respective position like third or fourth place,” he said.