Euphoric Santhe Admarc General Secretary says their giant Killing in the FDH Bank Cup shows how much talent is hidden in rural areas.
After beating Chipiku Premier Division heavyweights Villa FC 2-0 and Support Battalion 4-3 on post match penalties in the preliminary stages, Santhe Admarc were given a big mountain to climb in the round of 32 where they were paired against TNM Super League side Mighty Wakawaka Tigers which they defeated.
Club General Secretary Pofera Chinkhwasale has told The Atlas that beating a team which has squad value and wage bill more times bigger than his team shows “hidden talent in rural areas”.
Santhe Admarc’s less than 100 travelling supporters went wild and roared when Iven Mwakapenda’s last spot kick hit the post to hand the Kasungu based side a 3-1 victory.
And it was not only the fans who gathered to the North-eastern side near covered stand of Civo but also the technical panel led by coach Macdonald Matanje who joined the players into celebrations at the corner flag.
“Iam very happy for this victory, we came as underdogs but we have managed to beat Mighty Wakawaka Tigers and progress” Matanje told the Atlas after the match.
The team is playing in the FDH Bank Cup only for the first time in their history and when Precious Chipungu put the Kaukau Boys ahead on 29 minutes it looked as though it’s going to be a whitewash but an own goal by Wellington Mkandawire nine minutes later changed complexion of the game as the hosts defended well to cling to a draw and force the game into penalties which according to coach Matanje he knew it was the right way to go through.
“we have been training penalties thats why we managed to win this match and this is our second victory through penalty shutout”, he said.
Santhe Admarc goalie Zahaya Malithano was hero of the day as he saved two of three missed penalties by Mighty Wakawaka Tigers.
Malithano saved Precious Chiudza’s penalty before tipping over Alex Kambirinya’s shot over the bar while Iven Mwakapenda’s penalty hit the side post. It was only Frank Chikufenji who did his job right as he sent Malithano the wrong way.
The Kasungu based side scored their penalties through Jason Yosophat, Stephen Nkhoma and Chisomo Smart while Yona Mjogo was denied by Tigers’ Innocent Nyasulu.
Meanwhile, Chinkhwasale insisted that there is no pressure as they head into the round of 16 as they target quarter the final mark.
“We have been encouraged with this victory and we will continue working hard as we aim to reach top 8 of this trophy” he added
Since it’s establishment in 1972, the team has been participating in community trophies until 2022 when they joined Unayo Division One League where they won the title and got Premier Division League promotion.
The team anchors group B log table with only two points from seven games as we head to the second round of Central Region Chipiku Premier Division group stages.
Santhe Admarc has no sponsor after the withdrawal of Admarc many years ago and they rely on the communities including Senior Chief Santhe to keep going.
According to Chinkhwasale, 95 percent of the team is made up of players within the areas of Senior Chief Santhe, TA Nyaza, TA Chidzuma and TA Chaima.
