He has been there when called upon and played a role in Green Buffaloes’ survival to stay in the super league. It was a pulsating season for the army-sponsored side and more hectic especially in the first stanza of the 2020/2021 football fiesta.
Buffaloes spent a third of the season battling relegation with the hope of not succumbing to it. At the beginning of the second round of the season, they conjured a spirited fight that saw them overturn the tables.
The ZamFoot Crew caught up with goalkeeper Geoffrey ‘Khune’ Silavwe to discuss the season he had with the Soldiers.
According to Silavwe, 2020/2021 FAZ super league was the most competitive in his playing career.
“The just ended season I would say it was of the most competitive compared to other seasons cause every team was fighting for something a thing which keen followers of Zambian football will agree with me,” he said.
When asked to explain the Green Buffaloes second round resurgence, Silavwe has this to say:
“Nothing else was the key to our good run of form in the second round other than a change in attitude, we were all afraid of getting relegated and what did we have to do? to change the mentality to the winning one right? Yes!” Silavwe said in an exclusive interview with the ZamFoot Crew.
A team of Green Buffaloe’s caliber always sets top goals for each season to maintain their tag of being one of the biggest teams in the FAZ super league currently and this time around they failed to meet them.
“At the start of the season we had set targets as a team to win the league or finishing in top 4 and winning the ABSA cup but we failed to meet all that so we just have to reflect and work on the mistakes we made and prepare adequately for the coming season,” he said
The Green Buffaloes second choice shot-stopper who made 24% appearances for the army side and kept three clean sheets were asked to point out his best and worst football moment for the just-ended season and he picked these:
“It’s the pride of every goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet and proudly I would say the Lusaka Dynamos match which ended 0-0 stands to be my best football moment for the 2020/21 season because it’s not easy to deny a good side like Lusaka Dynamos a goal looking at how lethal their front line is. Football being what is it is, it also has the worst moments and to be honest the Buildcon home game at woodlands stadium is the one I would pick to be one of the terrible experiences, I was in goal and we were given two red cards and we lost 2-1,” he said.
Green Buffaloes who ended the 2020/21 football campaign on a brighter note with a one-all draw against prison leopards and will hope to start the 2021/22 season from where they left off and meet the targets they failed to achieve for the just-ended season.
Green Buffaloes who were founded in 1965 have won 6 super league titles with the last coming in the year 1981 and have won 21 trophies on the local scene with the latest one being the 2015 BARCLAYS cup now ABSA cup and have also represented the nation in CAF club competition on multiple occasions with last time being 2018.
