Simba: Any win matters most

SIMBA caretaker coach Juma Mgunda said bagging maximum points is vital regardless of the number of goals while Namungo Assistant Coach Shadrack Nsajigwa conceded the 1-0 setback saying they will be stronger in the next fixture..

The Msimbazi Street Reds stamped a 1-0 victory over Namungo at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday with Zambian ‘hitman’ Moses Phiri scoring the much valued goal of the day.

It was his sixth goal of the campaign, just one goal behind the current top goal scorer Sixtus Sabilo of Mbeya City who cherishes seven goals to his name hence the golden boot chase of the season keeps on escalating game after game.

The same scoreline was recorded by Simba in their previous league match against Ihefu at the same venue courtesy of Pape Sakho whose long range effort was enough to capsize the Mbarali based giants.

“First, let me acknowledge my players for putting everything on the pitch because they are the ones who battled for this victory which has enabled us to pocket essential three points.

“Also, I laud our fans and members for their massive support they give us whenever we play a league match…I regard them as a 12th player on the pitch because they give us full backing thereby boosting up morale of players on the battlefield,” he said.

Reacting to a question as to why he delays making substitutions despite knowing that some players are performing below par, Mgunda said substitution is made depending on the game plan they had beforehand.

“As coaches, our role is to observe the progress of the match and see where there is a need to increase force…in regard of this, substitutions are only made when fully convinced that there is a strong demand to do so,” he elaborated.

Mgunda has so far guided Simba to eight premier league matches, winning five games, stamping two draws and losing one match which is a seemingly a good run for him at the helm of the club.

On his part, Namungo’s Assistant Coach Nsajigwa nodded to the defeat saying their opponent were much better than them even though they created many scoring options on the day.

“We made a mistake which was fully utilised by them (Simba) to get a winning goal. In the second half, we came stronger and piled pressure on them and we narrowly missed a couple of scoring chances,” he said.

Up next, Namungo faces rejuvenated Azam in the upcoming encounter and have since generated 15 points from eleven matches.