Nomads,Bullets rivalry rekindled
by Joy Ndovi - Sunday, November 30, 2008 - 15:03:48

The grudge game that is always accompanied by thrills and volatile emotions is once again here. It’s not a matter of battling for points, but pride and prestige as well when Bullets and MTL Wanderers meet.
With the league title race at a climax it would be a sin for a Blantyre and surrounding areas football fan to miss the crunch derby at Kamuzu Stadium this afternoon.
The two sides go into the pitch hell bent on destroying each other for all the reasons you can think of.
MTL Wanderers are on a distant fifth position and one thing they would detest is seeing their rivals, who are currently on position two, ascending to the summit of the table at their expense.
The Nomads are also hurting deep in side for the one-all first round draw. Giving up a 1-0 lead towards the end of the game through a questionable penalty was a painful experience that can be erased through victory this afternoon.
Many Nomads diehards will not hesitate to tell you that they feel they were robbed of victory through that Charles Kalaile’s penalty.
So they will go to the stadium aiming collecting full points to take their tally from 41 points to 44 points so that they can move to fourth position which they lost to Eagle Strikers last week.
That is why coach Yasin Osman says he would not take the game for granted.
“I would not say whether it’s going to be a tough game or not,” Osman said during the week. “But the fact is we need to win and the team is in great shape.”
His sentiments clearly showed that the coach, who is yet to test defeat since taking over the job at Lali Lubani is approaching the game cautiously.
Osman knows that his previous victories are of little significant if compared to the result of this afternoon’s game.
He will be hoping repeat his 3-1 victory over Bullets in 2003 when he was in charge of Wanderers.
But thinking that Bullets are a pushover in this afternoon derby would be a big mistake the Nomads can ever commit.
Going by past results Bullets have a edge over Wanderers and co-coach Mabvuto Lungu knows that that is his side’s psychological advantage.
“It’s a very crucial game but what we need to do is keep up the good performance,” Lungu said.
Lungu welcomes back his captain Chiku Kanyenda, who collected two yellow cards, a development that bolsters his defence.
But his trump card is Diverson Mlozi who is probably one of the players who has made the 2008 season exciting.
Mlozi is capable of making clued-up defenders look gullible at the back because of his speed, dribbles and sets.
Osman on the other hand welcomes back Aggrey Kanyenda, who is arguably the best striker Wanderers has ever had in recent years.
Kanyenda was also serving two yellow cards and missed Wanderers’ last game.
His advantage is that he is handy and takes prides in scoring crucial goals for the Nomads when the going gets tough.
At the end of the day it will be another afternoon of versatile football that will result in upheaval of emotions.

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