Jesse Were and in-form veteran striker Winston Kalengo have been praise for inspiring defending FAZ Super Division champions and current league leaders Zesco United back to winning ways last Saturday.
Kalengo scored a brace courtesy of two Were assists’ in a 3-0 home win over KYSA on December 21 to end Zesco’s two-match losing run.
Were, who is the league top scorer on 10 goals after fourteen games played, is currently suffering from a dip in form in Zesco’s last five competitive matches.
Kalengo on the other hand is enjoying his best start to a season since returning to Zesco two years ago following a brief stint in Congo-Brazzaville.
His brace last Saturday took Kalengo’s tally to five league goals and has six in total with the other one goal coming in the CAF Champions League.
“Jesse is one of our key players. Of course, he has been missing chances but we have confidence in him. Our job is to make sure that we raise his game,” Zesco assistant coach Alfred Lupiya said.
“Football is seasonal, he is human but we will have to push him. We know he can do it.
“You know Lazarus Kambole left (to join Kaizer Chiefs), so all the focus now is on Jesse.
“He has been scoring goals for us, so now the teams that come here now plan for that saying ‘If we mark Jesse and if we mark John Chingandu things will be easy for us’.
“For Winston, people have been criticizing us that Zesco are using old players.
“But we have been long in this game but people are taking like they are coming from taverns. We have credentials to work elsewhere but we choose football.
“You have seen what Winston is doing for our team? They have stopped talking now but they will start talking when Winston goes down, that’s the bad part of our work.
“He is an old guy but he is raising the team.”
Meanwhile, Kalengo and Were have a big job waiting for them this Saturday when Zesco hosts Zamalek in a CAF Champions League fixture as the home sides seeks its first Group A win after a draw and defeat from two matches played.
