BMC chairman Sonny Phiri has applauded his coach Daniel ‘Chicco’ Nare for changing the fortunes of the side since being appointed the head coach early last year.
After leading Ezinkomo to eighth spot in his first season, BMC upped their game this past season to end up as runners-up to Mochudi Centre Chiefs. Despite working on a shoe-string budget, Ezinkomo finished ahead of favourites Township Rollers and Gaborone United to earn the P500, 000 second prize.
“This is a big achievement for us looking at the fact that we finished n position eight the previous season. We were competing for the title and for us this is something worth celebrating. The arrival of Chicco has worked wonders for the club and credit must go to him and his technical team,” said Phiri. ┬á
He added that the players were also fantastic though they had problems with bonuses along the way which saw the team not doing well in Mascom Top 8. “We managed to sit down with the players┬á and solve our differences. Though we were knocked out of the Top 8, we managed to focus on the league and we’re grateful,” he added.
The soft-spoken chairman pointed out that the experience of some of the players they signed at the beginning of the season also contributed to their success.  
“Our aim is to compete for the league title until the end in the coming season. I’m aware that there are going to be a lot of challenges along the way but if we continue working as a team, there is no doubt that we can achieve that,” said Phiri.
For his part, Nare said he is humbled that the chairman appreciated the hard work he has put in since arriving at the club. He paid tribute to the players for their commitment and listening to his instructions.
“There were times when I was hard on the players but they did not show any unhappiness. They knew I was doing it for their (players) benefit and the club. Special praise has to go to the chairman and his committee because they were supportive all season long. They gave me all the players I wanted, something which enabled the technical team to carry out its duties well,” said Nare.
Despite finishing second in the league, BMC were the fifth lowest scoring side having only netted 35 times in 30 games. Nare admitted that they need to do something special if they want to improve on their scoring next season.
“We did not have someone who is creative hence we struggled to score goals. The departure of (Sageby) Sandaka to GU cost us dearly because he was the one who made things happen for us. Mandla (Sibanda) came with big reputation from ECCO but he has struggled to settle in the team. I think we need to find the right balance for next season,” said Nare.
