The Maravi Post

The 2012/13 TNM Super League first round comes to an exciting end this Sunday with defending champions and current league leaders Silver Strikers banking on military sides Moyale Barracks and Mafco to apply brakes on their senior brothers Red Lions.

Silver top the table with 31 points from 14 games but they can be overtaken by second placed Red Lions if the Zomba based soldiers collect maxim points from their two assignments against Mafco and Moyale Barracks away at Chitowe Stadium in Dwangwa, Nkhotakota. Any slip up by the roaring lions from Zomba in either game will see the bankers maintaining their top spot to win the first round.

While admitting that things were not in their hands, Silver Strikers general secretary Owen Munthali said in an interview this week that the bankers were not concerned with other teams’ affairs. “It is true things are not in our hands but we are not concerned with the affairs of other teams. If you bank on other teams to do the job for you, you can have a shock of your life. All we know is that we are currently on top of the table and the battle is still on,” said Munthali.

On fears from other quarters that Moyale and Mafco might choose to sacrifice points for the sake of their senior brothers, Munthali said: “That is up to them but what I know is that everybody wants the points. Every team wants to remain in the Super League and play in the Standard Bank Top eight,” he said. Mafco coach Stereo Gondwe ruled out the possibility of his team offering points to the visitors: “We will be at home and our fans are expecting nothing short of victory. Apart that, we are not in a very good position on the log table and we want to finish on a respectable position.

It will be pointless for me to give away the game to Red Lions and lose my job for failing to perform,” said Gondwe.
Another interesting fixture that might shake up the top three positions is that involving Big Bullets and Kamuzu Barracks at Balaka Stadium.

A win by Bullets will see the ‘People’s team’ dislodging rivals MTL Wanderers from position three. The Bullets had a slow start to the league but since securing sponsorship from Carlsberg Malawi, they have been steadily climbing up the ladder. They will definitely put up a strong challenge for the title- come the second round.

Below are the closing fixtures for the first round, last week’s results and the current log table: Kick Off is 14:30hrs.

Saturday 15th September, 2012

Mafco F.C versus Red Lions @ Chitowe

Sunday 16th September, 2012

Moyale versus Red Lions @ Chitowe

Escom United versus EPAC F.C @ Kalulu Stadium

Big Bullets versus Kamuzu Barracks @ Balaka Stadium

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