Giant leap for Civil Sporting; Malawi TNM Super League
A 3-1 win and a 1-1 draw in their away assignments in the North against Moyale and Mzuni FC respectively, saw Civil Sporting Club move five steps up to perch at position 4 from nine on the 2017 TNM Super League season.
Civil Sporting, a merger between last season’s demoted team Civo United and Epac, tie on 21 points with Nyasa Big Bullets and Blue Eagles and are separated by goal difference.
The Bullets are at position five while Blue Eagles are 6th. However, Bullets have played 12 games while Civil Sporting have fulfilled 13 and the Eagles 14.
Though Mighty Be Forward Wanderers lost 0-1 to their arch rivals last Sunday, the Nomads still lead the league and are five points away from runners-up Silver Strikers but the Bankers have played less games — 11 while Wanderers have fulfilled 12 and are left with three more games.
Silver were on bye last weekend and they have been fixed with two games running this weekend when they face struggling sides in 12th-placed Mzuni on Saturday and 14th-placed Blantyre United.
And if the Bankers win both these games, they shall overtake Wanderers by one point since the Nomads will not be playing this weekend but they have been fixed with a midweek game against Moyale at Balaka Stadium on Wednesday, August 16.
Civil Sporting can also move further up if they win their away assignment against Azam Tigers at MDC Stadium on Saturday since Big Bullets’ also won’t play this weekend but on Wednesday when they host Red Lions at MDC Stadium.
The Zomba soldiers beat Masters Security 2-1 last Sunday to move from position 10 to seven.
Second-placed Moyale with 22 points, can also move up if they manage to beat Wanderers, who have lost twice so far after winning nine games and drawing once and have been on the driving seat for a couple of weeks now.
Defending champions Kamuzu Barracks chalked a 1-0 win against Azam Tigers last Saturday to move position nine from 12 and they face strugglers, 16th-placed Dwangwa United at Chitowe on Saturday.
They now remain with just two games to wrap up their first round and the best they can achieve in the next round is fight to be in the top eight to compete for the lucrative Airtel Top 8 Cup at the end of the season.
Dubbed, Leicester City of Malawi after the English Premier League side who failed to make their mark in the next season after clinching the Premiership title two seasons ago, Kamuzu Barracks have won just five matches, drew three and lost five games.
Other strugglers, 15th-placed Chitipa United date 10th-placed Mafco at Mzuzu Stadium on Sunday as 1th-placed Blantyre United travel to Lilongwe to face the runners-up Silver Strikers, who are the only side yet to register a loss from 11 games of six wins and five draws.
How they stand
(The number in brackets is for last season’s position and the P is for promoted teams):
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1. (6) Wanderers 12 9 1 2 14 5 9 28
2. (3) Silver Strikers11 6 5 0 16 5 11 23
3. (7) Moyale 13 6 4 3 12 12 0 22
4. (11) Civil Sporting13 6 3 4 23 15 8 21
5. (2) Nyasa Bullets12 6 3 3 12 6 6 21
6. (4) Blue Eagles14 5 6 3 15 12 3 21
7. (10) Red Lions 13 5 4 4 17 13 4 19
8. (13) Wizards 14 5 4 5 13 13 0 19
9. (1) K. Barracks13 5 3 5 15 14 1 18
10. (5) Mafco 12 5 3 4 11 15 -4 18
11. (8) Azam Tigers 13 4 5 4 19 15 4 17
12. (9) Mzuni 12 4 4 4 13 11 2 16
13. (P) Masters Security14 3 5 6 16 20 -4 14
14. (P) Blantyre Utd14 3 2 9 18 25 -7 11
15. (P) Chitipa Utd14 2 2 10 10 26 -17 8
16. (12) Dwangwa Utd 14 2 2 10 10 27 -17 8
