Red Lions coach, Prichard Mwansa, has said he is targeting to guide his depleted side to a top-four finish this season, after conceding that it would be a difficult task for the Reds to win their first ever league title this term.
Red Lions have, over the past few seasons, been fighting for the title but their poor performance in the second half of the season has always been their Achilles Heel.
This time around, the Reds have had a disastrous start following lengthy bans to their eight key players that were found guilty of assaulting referee Boniface Chapinga in last week’s match against Surestream.
Dickson Mbetewa Junior and Loti Chawinga were banned from playing for 12 months.
Boniface Kaulesi, William Chiumia, Matthews Simbeye, George Haule and Thomas Makaombwa were banned from playing for six months.
Red Lions had to leave it late to grab a point against Big Bullets in Zomba on Sunday through Kumbukani Mwambene’s strike in the last minute of added time which cancelled out Chiukepo Msowoya’s 86th minute goal.
The Reds are now on position six with nine points from six matches.
Mwansa said it would be a tough task for his side to genuinely challenge for the title.
“We are missing eight key players and it is not easy. We only registered 26 players this season and we can’t sign any new players. The remaining players will do the job and we will work on the mistakes we have observed so far,” he said.
“We will make sure we finish in the top four. It will be tough but we will manage to do it. It is still a long way to go. We will maintain the squad and keep on fighting. They are good players,”
Mwansa, however, said discipline was paramount to Red Lions’ success this season.
In the match against Bullets, Red Lions finished the match with 10 men after Chikoti Chirwa was sent off 12 minutes into the second half.
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