Barker impressed after Simba advance to Federation Cup Round of 16

Simba SC head coach Steve Barker admitted to being impressed after the Mailnland Premier League giants defeating little known B19 2-0 to qualify for the Federation Cup Round of 16 at the Major General Isamuhyo Stadium.

Jospin Loemba and Clatous Chama scored as Simba SC advanced to the Round of 16 in Tanzania’s Federation Cup on Saturday.
Second division club B19 FC provided a capable challenge but the star power of the Reds was too much to handle.

 

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Zambia international Chama finished off a splendid team movement to put the favorites beyond reach in the second half.

After holding out for the opening twenty minutes, B19 FC fell behind via a goalkeeping error. Loemba was in the right place to nod in from close range after a cross was tipped into the air. The match remained close until Chama struck in the 77th minute.

‘We implemented everything we wanted’

“I was pleased. I thought everything that we wanted to implement, we did,” Barker told the media as quoted by the Guardian. “We really controlled the match from start to finish. I don’t think our opponent even had a corner, and we didn’t have any stress in our box. That was due to us controlling.”

He added: “Obviously, you always want to be scoring more than just the two. Maybe we had a chance to get two or three in the first half. But overall, we won the game, did what we needed to, and players got some game time. It was a good evening.”

On the change he made to the squad, Barker said: “It wasn’t really tactical in the sense that something was missing. We just want to keep momentum.

“Players like Maurice and Naby Kamara haven’t played for a while, so we needed to freshen the team up. Then, the ability to bring on players like Oura, Chama, and Mpanzu to lift the game a little bit.”

Simba to face Dodoma Jiji in next round

Simba have been drawn to face Dodoma Jiji in the next round. Asked about the draw which pitted them against a team that they drew 0-0 with in the first round of the league, Barker said: “They’re a good team.

“We drew with them recently, so it’s another good challenge for us to look forward to. However, the coach was quick to pivot back to the present success.

“We are just pleased to be in the next round, and then we’ll worry about the cup game once we get there.”

Simba will return to Premier League action with a game against SIngida Black Stars on Wednesday.