Defending champions Red Arrows Football Club defeated Forest Rangers 1-0 in a week 17 match at Nkoloma Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Godfrey Ngwenya put the home team ahead in the 44th minute, helping them earn three points on home turf.
The victory was Red Arrows’ eighth this season. They are presently in fifth place with 28 points, after four draws and four losses.
However, despite Sunday’s victory, coach Chisi Mbewe admitted that this season has been tough for his side.
“Being Defending Champions this season has been tough, but we are slowly coming up and we are working hard to ensure we defend the title and achieve goals that we have set,” Mbewe said.
He also revealed that one of the team’s immediate target this season is to qualify for the ABSA Cup.
“One of our targets this season is to qualify for the Absa. This time around, we want to finish with 31 points on the table compared to how we finished in the first round last season.
“This is the result that we needed; we knew it was not going to be easy playing Forest Rangers, who have been struggling,” said Mbewe.
The Airmen face Zanaco on Wednesday, hoping to finish the first round in the top four of the league standings.
They will rise to 31 points with a victory, ensuring automatic qualifying for the 2025 ABSA Cup.