Wa Ganyu 

After defeats to Ekhaya FC, Simba SC and Blue Eagles, Mighty Wanderers fans can smile again. The Nomads beat fellow title contenders Silver Strikers away in Lilongwe, thanks to a lone goal from Clement Nyondo.

The win comes just days after Nomads recalled their head coach Bob ‘Mpulumutsi’ Mpinganjira from a suspension. Nomads have lost all three games they played without Mpinganjira.

In today’s match, unlike most midseason return fixtures, which often start slowly, both teams began on the attack, with the Nomads establishing their dominance early on.

In the 25th minute, the Nomads had the ball in the net, prompting many of their fans to celebrate what they thought was a one nil lead. However, the assistant referee’s flag was raised for offside, a decision the officials appeared to make in accordance with FIFA’s Laws of the Game.

But the Nomads were on a mission and refused to lose heart. Silver’s midfield anchors, Lasuli Jali and Ernest Petro, were second best to the marauding Nomads, who had been driven by a desire to bounce back from four defeats in recent weeks.

The Nomads continued to pile on the pressure until the 33rd minute, when Dan Kudonto capitalised on a misplaced pass by Zebron Kalima to find Mithi, who squared the ball for Nyondo to finish.

Nyondo pulled the Silver defence towards the left before sending the ball past an advancing Silver keeper George Chikooka and into the unguarded net to make it one nil. The Nomads held on to their lead until half time.

Although the Bankers tried hard to get back into the game, they struggled to shake off the Nomads, who went on to create several chances in the second half.

Silver’s interim head coach Patricio Kulemeka who spent much on the touchline, must have come away with a clearer picture of the task ahead as he seeks to lead what is arguably the weakest Silver Strikers side in the past three seasons.

The Bankers lost two key players mid season, which culminated into the firing of their coach Peter Mgangira after a 5 nil away defeat to FCB Nyasa Big Bullets in the league.

His opposite number, Mpinganjira, was rarely on his feet, as usual. Instead, his trusted Macdonald Mtetemera, delivered most of the instructions and earned a yellow card for putting pressure on the match officials.

For now, the Nomads can enjoy a good night’s rest at the top of the table as they await the result of the match between their arch rivals Bullets and an in form Blue Eagles side at Mpira Stadium in Blantyre.