Nkana Football Club defender Chitoshi Chinga has revealed the toughest opponent he has faced in the 2023–24 Super League season.
The hard-tackling defender, who also helped Kalampa survive relegation following a 1-0 win over Kansanshi Dynamos his targets for next season.
Chinga moved to Nkana during the midseason transfer window, and he helped stabilize the backline for the Ian Bakala-drilled side.
Since making his debut against FC MUZA, Nkana has only lost once—1-nil to Napsa Stars—while recording vital wins over Power Dynamos and Mufulira Wanderers, including a clean sheet against second-placed ZESCO United.
In an interview with BolaNews, Chinga, who previously featured for Forest Rangers at the start of the season, recalls that facing Red Arrows’ striker Ricky Banda was his toughest challenge this season.
He states that despite the match ending goalless while he was at the Ndola side, Banda, who has 11 goals so far, was a handful for the defense to keep at bay.
“I think Ricky Banda was the toughest challenge when we faced off at Levy Mwanawasa when I was still at Forest Rangers. Although we drew 0-0, I think that was one of the tough challenges for the season,” Chinga said.
Chitoshi reveals some people didn’t want him to join Nkana
The former Lusaka Tigers defender also expressed contentment with helping the team survive relegation. He states that one of the happiest moments at Nkana Stadium was seeing the fans dance and sing in relief for surviving relegation.
“For the Nkana fans, I was happy to see the fans singing and dancing as they were celebrating surviving relegation. It is one of the nicest scenes I have seen at Nkana Stadium,” Chinga stated.
With belief in Bakala’s leadership at the club, Chinga states that the club will pick up and compete for honours next season.
“When I was offered a contract at Nkana, I was thinking about a bigger challenge that lay ahead. Some people were not comfortable when I said I wanted to join Nkana, but I also wanted to challenge myself,” he reveals.
He adds, “Immediately after I left Forest, I knew that we were going to make it, survive, and finish in a better position. We are still pushing because there are two matches remaining. Next season, we want to fight for titles.”
