He was voted Zambian Sportsman of the Year in 1985 and in the 1988 season, he surprised many Zambian soccer purists by donning a striker's jersey for Wanderers, but he went on to score 5 goals, including the third goal when Wanderers beat Roan United 3–0 in the Independence Cup final in October. He thus followed in the footsteps of another great Wanderers goalkeeper Abraham Nkole, who scored a hat-trick in the final of the same competition in 1971. Chabala reverted to goalkeeping but reprised his striker's role again in the 1990 season for a few more games after which he went back between the posts.