Nkana caretaker coach Kaunda Simonda has conceded they must bring in quality players for the ailing defending FAZ Super Division champions to bounce back from their poor start to the 2020/2021 FAZ Super Division season.
Simonda, who replaced the suspended head coach Manfred Chabinga on Saturday, began his interim reign on Wednesday with a 2-0 away loss against promoted Indeni in Ndola.
Ironically,Indeni was the same Nkana team beat 2-0 in the 2020/2021 season-opening Charity Shield final on October 24 in but this time faced them without hero and brace scorer in that first game Idris Mbombo who is out injured.
“For a big club like Nkana, I think we should go back into the market to find some good players who can push Nkana where it belongs,” admitted Simonda.
The loss to Indeni saw Nkana slumped in third from bottom on the table at number 16 after suffering their third loss from six league games played with just one victory this season.
“For now, we are struggling; we don’t have so many players who can win games for Nkana. I tell you it is a big team. For example, like the games that we have played so far, if we had big players we wouldn’t have lost any games,” Simonda said.
Nkana have been left cash-strapped this season following long-term bankrollers Mopani Copper Mines decision to drastically cut its sponsorship.
Thereafter, Nkana suffered an exodus of notably four key players in the off-season prominently being playmaker Kelvin Mubanga who joined Zesco United on a free transfer.
Goalkeeper Katemba Ngeleka moved to Lumwana Radiants while the Kenya duo of Musa Muhammad and Duncan Otieno also left for greener pastures.
Meanwhile, Nkana have now just picked up just one point from their last three games and they are back in action this Sunday when they host seventh placed and stubborn Green Eagles in Kitwe.
