MUKWIMA CHILALA writes
CITY of Lusaka have regrouped ahead of their participation in the newly formulated Provincial Division One League.
A check by the Sun sports at City’s base, Woodlands Stadium, on Friday found the Chilenje-based side holding trials for the recruitment of new players ahead of the season.
During the trials the main team beat Bauleni Soccer Academy, which included some of the players being tried.
The trials also attracted scores of spectators, including newly appointed club chairman Mupanga Mwanakatwe.
Mwanakatwe watched the games in the company of coach Kenneth Malitoli.
After failing to secure a slot in the Super League promotional playoffs as well as failing to make it in the National Division One League, City will now have to compete in the Provincial Division One League.
But Malitoli is hopeful his side will make it out of the provincial league next season.
He said he had already started planning and assembling a team that would compete in the upcoming season to make sure that the Chilenje side was promoted.
Malitoli said his team had been playing preparatory matches with academies and holding trials to tap young and raw talent ahead of the season.
“Our aim this season is to make sure that we get promoted from our current league into the National Division One League,” he said.
“We are looking at recruiting 30 new players and tap new talent, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need experienced players. City only has three players of its own with the rest being on loan. So want to recruit and groom our own,” Malitoli said.
He said having joined the side midway through the season, he had performed better than expected and achieved his target for last season.
“Of course, I achieved my target last season because I joined the team midway through the season, but managed to finish eighth in the league,” Malitoli said.
If you do your calculations before I joined the team was on 11 points but after I came we managed to jump from 11 to 44 points on the log.
Malitoli said starting on a new slate next season, his objective was to win the title in the new league division.
