By CHINOYI CHIPULU
Super Division leaders Zesco United on Wednesday overcome Forest Rangers 2-0 in a Ndola derby friendly at Trade Fair grounds.
Both teams were using the match to prepare for future games since the league is currently on a short break.
Congelese David Molinga and Kenyan Jesse Were contributed a goal piece in this friendly.
Zesco and Forest have already met twice in the league so their next meeting in the league is next season.
Zesco coach Munamamba Numba said in a post match interview that the team has stayed for sometime without playing games hence securing the friendly match with their rivals.
“We came up with this game so that we keep the match fitness especially for the players that have not been playing regularly. We thought of giving them enough time so that they can try and catch up in terms of fitness. I think we have stayed for quite some time without playing games,” he said.
Numba is also worried that staying without games may affect some the performance of his team.
” I think what is important is for the players to look after themselves well. Looking at the period that we will stay without playing, it may affect the team if the players themselves don’t look after themselves well, that is why we came up with this friendly,”he said.
And Forest Coach Tenant Chilumba said the friendly was important game for his side as the technical bench wanted to analyze the fitness levels of the players.
“We wanted to get something, we wanted to look at the fitness levels of the players, last weekend we didn’t play, of course we wanted to give the new players, to see how they can coordinate and of course playing Zesco, we have learned something so we just have to focus on the next game,” he said.
Chilumba said it was an important training game, as it made them not to sit idle.
” I think it was an important training game, we didn’t want them to sit idle but to remain focused, it was more like activeness. Of course you can even see the pace, the intensity was not much so I thought we should arrange another friendly on weekend with another team, “he said.
