After helping Kansanshi Dynamos FC secure their MTN Super League status in the club’s first season back in the top flight, Assistant Coach Dennis Makinka believes the Mabanga Boys have laid a foundation to build on as they look towards the upcoming transitional season and beyond.
Makinka, who guided the team in the remaining games following Head Coach Fathi’s leave, gave his post-season review in an interview with Kansanshi Dynamos Media, reflecting on a campaign that saw the club overcome a difficult start to finish 11th on the log with 43 points.
Having earned promotion from the National League, Kansanshi Dynamos spent much of the first half of the season battling near the foot of the table. At one stage between weeks 12 and 15, the team sat second from bottom with just nine points, leaving them with a mountain to climb in their bid to retain their Super League status.
However, a remarkable turnaround in the second round saw the Mabanga Boys collect crucial points both home and away as confidence steadily grew within the squad.
“The second round was good for us. We picked up so many points and we did better than we did in the first round. The confidence was in the team and we believed that we could get out of the relegation zone, which we did.”
Makinka revealed that when the technical bench took charge, they challenged the squad to surpass the club’s previous highest points tally in the Super League while also targeting a top-10 finish.
While the latter proved just out of reach, the assistant coach was pleased with the progress made considering the position the team found itself in during the first half of the season.
“We challenged ourselves to do better than the highest points tally that the club had achieved before. We also wanted to try and finish in the top 10, but looking at where we were, finishing 11th is something we can take.”
Among the standout moments of the campaign, Makinka singled out the away victory over Nchanga Rangers FC in Chingola as a turning point in the team’s season. He described the performance as one that gave the players belief they could pick up results away from home and compete consistently in the league.
The assistant coach also pointed to victories over NAPSA Stars and Nkwazi as key moments that helped strengthen the team’s confidence during the relegation battle.
Despite the positive finish to the season, Makinka believes the campaign provided valuable lessons that the team must carry into the future.
“There were games where we should have collected maximum points and others where one point would have made a difference. We also created a lot of chances but our conversion rate was not good enough.”
Game management and chance conversion were identified as areas requiring improvement, with the coach noting that anxiety to win sometimes led the team to surrender valuable points in matches where a draw may have been the better outcome.
Makinka was also encouraged by the progress made across all departments of the team. He highlighted improvements in attacking play, build-up from the back and the team’s collective defensive organisation, which contributed to a stronger second half of the season.
Supporters were another key factor in the club’s successful survival fight. According to Makinka, the backing received from fans both home and away helped keep the team motivated even during the most challenging periods of the campaign.
“Our supporters were amazing. Even when we had very few points, they continued supporting the team. They played a very big role in helping us believe.”
With the 2025/26 season now concluded, attention turns to the upcoming transitional campaign, which Makinka views as an important opportunity for the club to continue its development.
He explained that the shortened season will serve as a chance to assess the squad, measure the team’s competitiveness against some of the league’s bigger sides and prepare strategies for the full season that follows. The technical bench will also use the campaign to evaluate player readiness in what is expected to be a demanding fixture schedule.
“We want to use it as a mini season to see how we can compete, how we can improve and to help us prepare for the future.”
Looking ahead, Makinka believes Kansanshi Dynamos can continue building on the progress made during their return to the Super League.
“Before the league starts, everyone is 0-0-0,” he noted, expressing confidence that with belief, hard work and continued support, the Mabanga Boys can continue pushing towards greater achievements in the seasons ahead.
