South African tactician Steve Barker has guided Simba SC to the summit of the NBC Tanzania Premier League after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Mbeya City on Wednesday afternoon.
The Reds of Msimbazi temporarily occupy top spot having played a game more than their arch-rivals Young Africans who are in active in the league due to their Federation Cup commitments against Azam FC on Sunday, 21 June.
In-form marksman Elie Mpanzu netted on the stroke of halftime to make it 1-0 and take Simba one point above Yanga for the all-important maximum points on the road.
The result sees Simba pick up their fifth straight win on the trot while Yanga lost once and won four in the same number of games.
Barker’s arrival in Tanzania has been a fresh breath of air for the Red Lions who he also steered to the Muungano Cup triumph in April this year against Yanga. He is the first Simba coach to win the Kariakoo Derby in three years.
The former Stellenbosch FC mentor has been a revelation for his side and was rewarded for his efforts, picking up three consecutive Coach of the Month accolades – March, April and May.
Should Yanga not win their match in hand and Simba win their remaining three outings, they will then be crowned league champions for the first time since 2021 and stop Yanga’s dominance who have won it four years in a row.
Young Africans have won the championship 31 times to Simba’s 21 since the inception of the league.
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