Sofapaka team that will face Wazito fc at the Ruaraka Sports ground on 29th April 2018. Starting eleven include
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For two consecutive matches since he took over Sofapaka’s coaching reins following the departure of Sam Ssimbwa, the team’s interim trainer John Baraza has presided over two draws away.
Sofapaka held Sony Sugar to a 1-1 draw in Awasi on April 2 before settling for similar results against Chemelil Sugar at Chemelil Complex on April 21,
To most Sofapaka’s fans, the results are fair and that Baraza has done his best especially given that away matches especially in Nyanza are always intriguing.
Baraza, however, has declared that the match against Wazito in Ruaraka on Sunday will give the team ample time to improve on the two results in the team’s bid to challenge for the KPL crown.
Sofapaka are placed in the eighth position in the KPL chart behind Chemelil Sugar, AFC Leopards, Ulinzi Stars, Bandari, Mathare United and table-topprs Gor Mahia, but Baraza firmly belives that Batoto Ba Mungu have the chance of scaling the ladder to wrestle for the honours.
“Of course, the league is not easy but I have this feeling that Sofapaka have an equal chance of winning the title just the teams above us. We need to keep working hard to win our remaining matches and see what happens after there,”
He added:” We may have stumbled at some point but winning the remaining matches is not too much to ask,”quipped Baraza, himself a former player at Sofapaka, Chemelil Sugar and Yanga of Tanzania.
Baraza who has been given a free hand by the management to field a squad of his choice can rest easy in that players like Kepha Aswani, Stephen Waruru and Mohammed Kilume have peaked up in training and are thus valuable assets in not only the weekend match but the rest of the fixtures this season as well.
Ugandan striker Umaru Kasumba who has had a goal drought is also vouching to prove himself in the game, so is his fellow countryman in goalkeeper Mathias Kigonya who has endeared himself with fans due to his penalty conversion rate. Kigonya also believes that Wazito are beatable.
“If we can demonstrate what we have learned in training, we should not have difficulty beating Wazito. We just need to believe in ourselves and the rest shall fall in place,” said Kigonya.
Sofapaka team that will face Chemelil Sugar fc at the Chemelil Sports Stadium on 21th April 2018. Starting eleven include
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The race for 2018 Kenyan Premier League Golden Boot has yet again attracted ‘unfamiliar’ names with the league headed to half-time break in June.
Out of the top 10 scorers, there are four midfielders and a goalkeeper gunning for the coveted title. Sofapaka custodian Mathias Kigonya is only four goals shy of the season’s leading scorer.
The Ugandan international has netted four times, all from the penalty spot as he continues to close in on Rupia. It remains to be seen whether another KPL player will pull a surprise when the league winds up in November
Masoud Juma, then playing for the newly promoted Kariobangi Sharks, stunned many when he topped the 2017 season scorers’ chart with 17 goals.
Nzoia Sugar may be sitting eighth on the 18-team log after a slow start to the season that saw the Millers go for four games without a win. But out of the 12 goals so far scored by the Bernard Mwalala side, eight of them have originated through Elvis Rupia, who is topping the chart.
Rupia is followed by Ezekiel Odera of AFC Leopards on six while Philip Wanjala of Chemelil Sugar, Mathare United midfielder Cliff Nyakeya and Kariobangi Sharks’ Eric Kapaito are third all on five goals.
Former Sofapaka coach Ssimbwa might have ruled out Sofapaka’s chances of fighting for the Kenyan Premier League title just four games into the new season, but his successor, John Baraza, bears different sentiments.
After their 3-1 and 3-0 loss to leaders Mathare United and Bandari FC respectively, Ssimbwa who resigned last week on the back of sabotage claims said that the team had not yet shown tenets of being champions and would only be playing to finish the season in a respectable position.
However, Baraza who was elevated to the post of coach after the Ugandan’s exit believes they will be a force to reckon in the race to this year’s title despite currently sitting six points off the leaders Mathare United.
“He had his reasons to say that. But I have been with these players since the season commenced and I know their potential. They have what it takes and if we do things in the right way, we are strong contenders for the title,” Baraza told the Sofapaka Portal.
Baraza, suited for the occasion took charge of his first match in charge of the club on Sunday but his charges were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Sony Sugar who played almost half the match with 10-men.
Baraza was pleased with the point, but was left ruing the missed opportunities.
“We fought well, but my problem is the scoring. We did just like I had asked them to do; possess and pass the ball around. But we couldn’t convert the chances we had. This is work in progress and we will work on it. We will get it soon,” a confident Baraza added.
The draw left Batoto ba Mungu six points off leaders Mathare United.
Newly appointed Sofapaka head coach John Baraza believes his charges can still garner the title come the end of the season, though they are trailing league leaders Mathare United by six points,
This was the first game for Baraza at the helm of the Sofapaka after his heroics of steering the club out of the drop zone in the 2016 season. Batoto Ba Mungu’s torrid start to the season that saw them loose their opening fixture 3-0 against Bandari coupled with a poor run of two successive defeats pushed Ugandan tactician Sam Ssimbwa to throw in the towel citing sabotage in the team.
Not even a draw against Sony Sugar was enough to deter the former Sofapaka talisman who claimed that his charges have what it takes to challenge for the title, “Having worked with the players for a long time, they are capable of fighting for the title.” Baraza joined Sofapaka back in 2009 from Chemelil and was part of the squad that landed Sofapaka’s first and only title so far in club’s brief history.
Sofapaka played to a 1-1 spirited draw with visitors SoNy on Sunday 16 April displaying a string of good passes and enjoying large spells of possession a stark contrast from their defeat to Nzoia Sugar where they hurled the ball forward aimlessly. Baraza congratulated the boys for their performance despite the disappointing draw in which they conceded a late penalty, “I congratulate the boys for the draw irrespective of the draw because they really played well and played to my instruction, the job is up to us to work on the boys so that they can convert the many chances we missed.”
Having won the top scorer’s gong for straight season the former striker will be frustrated at his side’s lack of sharpness in front of goal especially in the game against Sony sugar. “I will work on chances because I wanted them to pass around then convert those chances into goals and wins” he added. Sofapaka is heading to the next game against Chemelil on 19th April, 2018.
A one-man less Sony Sugar team fought from a goal down to hold Sofapaka to a 1-1 draw at the Ruaraka Complex on Sunday.
It was David Simiyu’s second half penalty that secured a point for the visitors, clawing from one goal down after Mathias Kigonya had given Sofapaka the lead, also from the penalty spot.
Sony had to play almost the entire second half with 10 men after Samuel Olare was given his matching orders for an off the ball elbow on Sofapaka defender Mousa Omar. However, the sugar millers under the tutelage of new coach Patrick Odhiambo fought to secure the away point.
Under the tutelage of new coach John Baraza, Sofapaka controlled possession and had most of the first half chances with Sony struggling to get anything on target. In the eighth minute they asked the first questions with Brian Dayo’s shot from distance sailing over.
In the 20th minute, they had another opportunity when Willis Ouma’s cross from the right found Kepha Aswasni inside the box but his glancing header sailed over.
They finally got into the lead in the 30th minute from the penalty spot after Sony keeper Kevin Omondi charged at Aswani from the back missing the ball as he went for a crossball. Keeper Kigonya took responsibility and made no mistake, slotting home.
Sofapaka continued dictating the tempo and in the 35th minute, Kevin Kimani had an effort from a half volley but keeper Omondi was well behind the ball to collect.
The hosts were handed a massive advantage eight minutes into the second half when Samuel Olare was shown a straight red card after elbowing Mousa Omar jostling for space in the wall.
The sugar millers had a brilliant chance to gather a point especially with a man down when the ball fell graciously on David Simiyu’s path one on one with keeper Kigonya, but he took a rushed decision for a shot that went wide.
They were almost punished seven minutes later but Kimani’s effort after a quick change of passes with Dayo inside the box went wide.
Waruru also tried his luck with a one-time volley inside the box, but keeper Omondi parried it away.
Simiyu should have taken his side back level when Willis Ouma’s clearance fell on his path, but he was impatient one on one with Kigonya, shooting the ball wide when he should have gone for precisions.
He however atoned for his miss minutes later when he converted from the spot after a defensive mix up ended up in Humphrey Okoti handling inside the box.
With the goal, Sony momentarily tried to push for a winner with the introduction of Menjamin Mosha, but Sofapaka held their own. With the clock ticking, the sugar millers piled bodies behind the ball to safeguard the point, which they did successfully.
Sofapaka team that will face Sony Sugar fc at the Ruaraka Sports Stadium on 15th April 2018. Starting eleven include
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Sofapaka interim trainer John Baraza faces his first major test since the surprise resignation of Head Coach Sam Ssimbwa at the club when he leads them in an 11th round encounter against Sony Sugar in Ruaraka on Sunday.
Sony has been nothing but a bogey side to Sofapaka for the last couple of years and it remains to be seen just how the latter will fare without Ssimbwa who quit his position in a huff last Sunday after Batoto Ba Mungu’s shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Thika United.
Although it was a big blow for Sofapaka to lose a coach of Ssimbwa’s caliber, Baraza who has been the understudy of the Ugandan tactician for the last two years since quitting football believes Batoto Ba Mungu have the prospects of doing well in the remaining fixtures.
“Of course, the league is very competitive but my main target is to turn round the fortunes of the team. I want to win the faith of fans and hopefully, we should challenge for the league’s top honours,” said Baraza.
As Sofapaka starts life without Ssimbwa who is rumoured to be joining a Ugandan club, Baraza will be hoping that the team’s regular players like Kepha Aswani, Stephen Waruru and Umaru Kasumba will rise to the occasion.
For the last couple of years, Awendo has been reputed as a dreary hunting ground to most Nairobi teams and this is a disturbing jinx Sofapaka will be going flat out to break.
And it’s possible for a good measure if Sofapaka take into the match with a positive mind-set and put behind them the disappointment of the shock loss at Thika United.
Goalkeeper Mathias Kigonya who has a penchant of scoring goals through penalties is yet another big source of inspiration for Sofapaka who are lying in the fourth position in the chart behind AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia and Mathare United.
In the meantime, Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa has wished Ssimbwa the best of luck in his future endeavors.
“Common sense dictates that we must respect the decision by Ssimbwa to part ways with us. As for now, Baraza (John) will handle the team on an interim capacity and we do believe he will do a fantastic job as we look into Ssimbwa’s replacement,” said Kalekwa.
SEOpaslaugos.com seo paslaugos
Sofapaka FC would like to announce that Ugandan head coach Sam Ssimbwa tendered his resignation today citing poor performance of the team and being unable to turn the fortunes round.
Ssimbwa will be replaced by John Baraza who has been the deputy coach, until mid-season when the club’s management would re-asses the team’s performance and the coaching staff.
“I have received Sam Ssimbwa’s resignation letter this afternoon and accepted his wishes with regret.
He has had two stints with the club, I know he is a big coach and we as the Sofapaka family wish him well in his endevours,” said Sofapaka president Elly Kalekwa.
