Category: News

SOFAPAKA COACH RESIGNS

Ugandan tactician, Sam Ssimbwa has resigned as Sofapaka coach,  The tactician threw in the towel following a humiliating 2-1 lose to lowly ranked Thika United in a Kenyan Premier League match on Sunday during the away match played at Thika Stadium.

Thika United staged a come-back to down Batoto Ba Mungu, it was Sofapaka’s second consecutive loss after Wednesday’s 0-1 loss to Nzoia Sugar in Ruraka.

Club’s President Elly Kalekwa has confirmed the reports, saying that Ssimbwa asked to step aside citing players sabotage.

“Thank you for the support you gave me during my time here, I am heading to Kampala. I wish you all the best for the remainder of the season, “Ssimbwa told a handful of supporters after the match.

When reached for a comment, the Ugandan neither denied nor confirmed the news saying he’s not in right state to speak.

“I will speak on this matter next Tuesday, for now, I want to rest first, ” he said.

Sssimbwa took charge of Sofapaka in January 2017.

TEAM LINEUP AGAINST NAKUMATT FC

Sofapaka team that will face Nakumatt fc at the Ruaraka grounds on 31st March 2018.

Starting eleven include

  • Mathias Kigonya (1)
  • Willis Ouma (3)
  • Yusuf Mohamed (7)
  • Rodgers Aloro (17)
  • Moussa Omar (15)
  • Mohammed Kilume (4)
  • Kevin Kimani (33)
  • Elli Asieche (9)
  • Umaru Kasumba (13)
  • Kennedy Oduor (2)
  • Kepha Aswani (50)

The Substitutes will be

Emmanuel Opiyo, Maurice Odipo, Bernard Mangóli, Stephen Waruru, Micheal Oduor, Ibrahim Kitawi and Brian Magonya.

SSIMBWA UNHAPPY OVER WIN

Despite winning over Tusker FC and gaining three points in a nine goal-thriller over the weekend, Sofapaka FC boss Sam Ssimbwa is disappointed that his side conceded four goals in a single match.

The match saw Batoto Ba Mungu win 5-4 against the Brewers as the two sides faced off at the Machakos Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Ugandan is happy for maximum points from the tie but he is gutted that they failed to avoid letting in goals.

 “Am happy to have gotten three points but at the same time am disappointed to have conceded four goals in once match. This is not netball it is football. We have been lacking goals in the past matches and now we got goals, we failed to get a clean-sheet,” he said.

It is the first time in the 2018 season campaign that Sofapaka has got more than two goals in a single match. The last time they scored five goals in a league match was on August 19 2017 in their 5-2 win over Nakumatt FC. LPG masažas ir plaukų šalinimas lazeriu Vilniuje už gerą kainą salone Oblaka

The 2009 league champions have managed just two clean-sheets in seven matches played this season. The side has conceded 12 goals this season.  Their attack has managed 11 league goals so far.

The side is fifth on the standings with 13 points

SOFAPAKA VS TUSKER FC LINEUP

Sofapaka fc lineup against Tusker fc at Machakos Stadium lineup

  1. Mathias Kigonya (1)
  2. Willis Ouma (3)
  3. Maurice Odipo (24)
  4. Rodgers Aloro (17)
  5. Moussa Omar (15)
  6. Kilume Mohammed (4)
  7. Kevin Kimani (33)
  8. Teddy Osok (6)
  9. Kepha Aswani (50)
  10. Elli Asieche (16)
  11. Stephen Waruru (22)

SUBSTITUTES

  1. Emmanuel Opiyo (30)
  2. Humphrey Okoti (23)
  3. Umaru Kasumba (13)
  4. Bernard Mangóli (20)
  5. Kennedy Oduor (2)
  6. Timothy Luda (12)
  7. Micheal Oduor (11)

SOFAPAKA TEST TUSKER MIGHT IN MACHAKOS

Since they chalked up modest gains in the Kenyan Premier League after a lean period, Sofapaka have thrown down the gauntlet and their alluring form will come under scrutiny on Sunday when they face Tusker at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
Granted, the match brings together battle-hardened sides and the take of pundits is that whoever shall win the contest will have broken a lot of sweat.
Batoto Ba Mungu should draw great inspiration from the fact that they have not lost their last three fixtures and the team’s coach Sam Ssimbwa believes his charges are capable of humbling Tusker.
“It’s all about believing. My players now have a winning mentality which is quite encouraging. We are upbeat and I hope the players will demonstrate what they learned in training,” said Ssimbwa ahead of the anticipated clash.
The tactician, however, rued a litany of missed chances by his forwards during the goalless draw with Kariobangi Sharks last week and hopes that the mistake will not be repeated against the brewers.
“We lost chances and this is hardly the way to win matches. Goals are the ones which count in a match and I hope this message will be grasped by strikers. In as much as I anticipate a tough battle, all I want is for them to bury the chances and put the game to bed,”
By all indications,Tusker will be leaving no stone un-turned after they received a lot of criticism following their barren draw with Thika United last weekend.
But in Sofapaka, Tusker will be meeting a team that is known to rise to the occasion against big guns which calls for them to be extra cautious.
Moreover, if Sofapaka play as they did against Posta Rangers in a 2-1 win on March 3, then Tusker will be hard pressed to evade defeat.
That said, Ssimbwa is expected to make minimal changes in the squad that played Sharks with Mathias Kigonya likely to be preferred between the posts as Yusuf Mohammed, Rogers Aloro, Willis Ouma and Moussa Omar provide cover in the rearguard.
Kevin Kimani should spearhead the midfield as Stephen Waruru, Kepha Asawani and Umaru Kasumba shoulder the responsibility of searching for goals.
Sofapaka’s probable line-up M. Kigonya, Y. Mohammed, R. Aloro, W. Ouma, M. Omar, M. Kilume, K. Kimani, E. Asieche, S. Waruru, M. Oduor, K. Aswani

COACH SAM STUMPED AT SHARKS GAME

Sofapaka head coach Sam Ssimbwa has admitted that he expected more from his players, especially on the attacking front, after missing many chances in the barren draw game with Kariobangi Sharks at Machakos on Saturday 10th March.

Sofapaka should have easily won the game in the first half, given the caliber of our forwards and midfielders in the team, and garnered three points thereby.

He notes that his side dropped two points, rather than one gained but he is happy that the team could at least keep a clean sheet.

“I was puzzled, considering the type of strikers and midfielders we have in the team. We missed so many chances and I’m disappointed at that, because this is a game we should have won very early had we settled well.

“On a positive note, I am happy that we kept a clean sheet; at least that helps build confidence in the team and the defence particularly,” he said.

Sofapaka plays Tusker FC next weekend.

SOFAPAKA LINEUP AGAINST SHARKS FC

Sofapaka  fc lineup against Sharks fc at Machakos Stadium lineup

STARTING LINEUP

Mathias Kigonya (1)
Willis Ouma (3)
Maurice Odipo (24)
Rodgers Aloro (17)
Moussa Omar (15)
Mohammed Kilume (4)
Kevin Kimani (33)
Kennedy Oduor (2)
Umaru Kasumba (13)
Elli Asieche (16)
Kepha Aswani (50)

SUBS

Emmanuel Opiyo, Humphrey Okoti, Stephen Waruru, Micheal Oduor, Timothy Luda, Brian Magonya & 
Bernard Mangóli

PREVIEW-SOFAPAKA, SHARKS FACE OFF IN KPL MATCH

After making a huge statement of intent by blitzing Posta Rangers 2-1 in their latest fixture, Sofapaka will be angling to stop Kariobangi Sharks in yet another tricky Kenyan Premier League (KPL) fixture at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Saturday, March 10, 2018.
The first match of a double-header at the stadium has all the ingredient of a thriller since it brings together some of the battle-hardened teams in the country.
Curiously, the interesting bit of it is that Sofapaka players Elly Asieche and Ibrahim Kitawi, who were off-loaded by Kariobangi Sharks last season, will be facing their former employers and would be more than eager to show them just what they are missing.
That said, Sofapaka Coach Sam Ssimbwa averred that the laboured win over Rangers gave his charges lots of confidence, adding that they are determined to leave no stone un-turned in subsequent fixtures.
The tactician observed that he does not see Sofapaka facing a “Shark Attack’ considering that he understands their opponents style of play like the back of his hand.
“I know Sharks’ strong and weak points and I must say we are ready for them. They may be a tough side but we’ll give them a good match in our quest to bag the three points,” observed Ssimbwa.
During the match against gritty Rangers, Sofapaka were a marvel to watch and whether they will replicate the same remains to be seen.
Stephen Waruru who was amongst the stand-out players in the match is expected to lead the goal-hunt assisted by Kepha Aswani and Umaru Kasumba.
 In midfield, Hillary Echesa is expected to take a commanding role with Maurice Odipo leading in keeping the defence together and most importantly shielding goalkeeper Mathias Kigonya from the predatory Sharks front-runners.

PREVIEW – SOFAPAKA VS POSTA RANGERS

For the umpteenth time, Sofapaka have laid bare their intentions of remaining consistent in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) after their 2-1 win over AFC Leopards last Wednesday.

Sofapaka have in no uncertain terms intimated that their next victims would be Posta Rangers who they shall meet this Sunday in the first match of a double-header at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos county.

Batoto Ba Mungu’s Head Coach Sam Ssimbwa said there will be no let-up in the team’s quest to return where it belongs especially after they endured a lot of brouhaha from several quarters following a spate of indifferent results.

“Of course, some of our matches have not gone according to script but of late you would have noticed that our players are increasingly gelling. Overall, I think we are on the right track and we hope to continue from where we left,” said Ssimbwa.

“There are times when you may go through a rough patch but as I have always said, there is always room for improvement. If you look at how we played against Leopards, there was a sense of cohesion in the playing unit and this is what I want to be replicated in the game against Posta Rangers,”quipped Ssimbwa.

Maurice Odipo, one of the team’s senior players stated:” We apologize to our fans following the downfall against Mathare and having beaten Leopards, I want to believe that we shall continue winning subsequent matches beginning with the game against Posta Rangers.”

Added Odipo:”We are looking in the bigger picture of keeping Sofapaka amongst the front-liners in the league and we must work extremely hard to achieve that,”

Batoto Ba Mungu are expected to show no mercy to Posta Rangers who plucked four points out of a possible six from them during the two teams meeting last season.

The first leg between the two ended in a 1-1 stalemate before Rangers prevailed 1-0 in the second and now, Ssimbwa whose pressure has been eased after his charges dispatched Ingwe has his work cut out in a bid to cut the mailmen down to size.

And by and large, the match will test the character of Sofapaka players as to whether they can overcome the battle-hardened nature of Rangers and especially that of players like Danson Kago, Titus Achesa and John Nairuka.

Having said that, Sofapaka also have their resourceful players to rely on in the high-profile game among them Umaru Kasumba, Ezekiel Okare, Hillary Echesa, Stephen Waruru and Maurice Odipo.

SOFAPAKA BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AFTER WIN

Sofapaka Head Coach Sam Ssimbwa has expressed concern over the team’s unstable performance so far. 

This is despite the team’s midweek victory over AFC Leopards on Wednesday evening at the Narok Stadium. Ssimbwa admitted that the pendulum performance is giving him anxious moments saying that he observing the progress keenly towards the next game.

“I am happy that we won but I am not yet sure and confident because we lost, won, lost and now we have won again so I am waiting for the coming game. If we win the coming game then I can say that we have started stabilizing but for now I can’t say much,” he stated. 

Asked about the performance in the game, The Ugandan coach agreed that the team showed improvement in the match after the mistakes that cost them the game against Mathare United over the weekend. 

“We went back to the drawing board and corrected our mistakes which we suffered from against Mathare United by giving away gifts so we minimized against AFC Leopards. We however still gave a gist because we allowed them to score from the centre but come the next game we shall improve further,” he explained.

Sofapaka secured a hard-fought 2-1 win and is now targeting consistency against Posta Rangers who enjoyed a morale-boosting over the weekend against Chemelil Sugar.