Blow for Simba SC as Onyango and Wawa set to miss Namungo FC clash

Simba SC have suffered a huge blow in their quest to retain the Mainland Premier League title after losing two key players for their rescheduled fixture against Namungo FC on Saturday.

The Msimbazi giants will start their journey of playing four matches in hand with a trip to Ruangwa, where they will face Namungo as they seek to open the gap at the top of the 18-team table.

Simba’s assistant coach Seleman Matola has confirmed to Goal they will, however, miss the services of their players Joash Onyango and Clatous Chama, but remained positive they have enough ammunition to finish the job away.

What did Matola say?

“We have only traveled with a squad of 20 players, and we will miss the services of defender Joash [Onyango] and midfielder Clatous Chama,” Matola told Goal ahead of the match at Majaliwa Stadium.

“Onyango is out because of the injury he picked during our Caf Champions League game against Kaizer Chiefs when he crashed heads with Taddeo [Lwanga] as they went for the aerial ball, while Chama has requested to attend to family matters, and we have given him the permission.

“The rest of the squad is fit and ready, we have arrived safely in Ruangwa and we got a good reception from the fans and the team we traveled with is ready for the task, we know Namungo is a tough team especially when playing at their backyard but we are ready for them.

“Our target for the season is still the same, nothing has changed, we want to retain the title, and that is our key focus against Namungo, for now, I urge the fans to turn out in large numbers and keep supporting us because they will go home a happy lot.”

Wekundu wa Msimbazi are currently sitting at the top of the log with 61 points, the same number as their rivals Yanga SC, though they have played four matches less.

Simba have already made it clear of their intention this season is to retain the title and return to the Champions League, where they saw their fairytale run in this campaign ended in the quarter-finals after losing 4-3 on aggregate to Chiefs.