Sofapaka U20 skipper Edmond Dante Kwanya is fired up and ready to go, come the Saturday match. He finally got his senior team debut after getting the nod from assistant coach John Baraza, to play in the against Tusker FC on 11th November Kenyan Premier League (KPL) match.

A utility player, Kwanya was introduced in the final ten minutes of the match as the 2009 KPL champions went on to win 1 – 0 and he holds the moment highly, especially since he was thrown into the fray, replacing Brian Magonya, to aid the team hold onto the first half lead that came courtesy of Humphrey Okoti’s goal.

Having waited patiently for his chance all season, Kwanya, who can play both as a midfielder and a central defender, is more confident now and fired up to work even harder for more and regular appearances. He had been elevated from the junior team to the senior team now, and had not played before in any of the senior team matches.

“It was long coming but in the end I am happy I got my chance; it was even better because we won and kept a clean sheet. Football is all about patience, timing and exploiting your chance when it comes. I think I have tasted both and now I am very confident ahead of the coming assignments. The future looks good for the team and I.”

The youngster hopes to feature again in the final match of the season, when Sofapaka entertains Zoo FC in Narok on Saturday 18 November.  

Kwanya got to lead his youth team in the U20 side and still under the watchful eyes of coach Baraza’s . “Both Baraza and Sam Ssimbwa have played key roles in my career as a player and am grateful for that. Coach Ssimbwa saw my potential and named me in his squad for the season. I am still learning, growing as a player and this trust that has been bestowed upon me, I want to repay it by playing even better with the skills that I have gained and I believe the next season would be better than now, am looking forward to it,” he added.

Kwanya joins a band of fellow youngsters, Mohamed Kilume, Brian Magonya, Reuben Juma and Samuel Mutiria at the team who have grown through the ranks, from the U20 side to representing the senior team.

 

“We have surpassed many targets this season and therefore no matter which position Sofapaka FC finishes in the 2017 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season, we are grateful”, said Sofapaka assistant coach John Baraza.

“During the 2016 KPL season, we were almost being relegated and now we are in top five, that’s a big improvement” he added.

Baraza acknowledges they are not done yet this season as they angle for second spot, but said the change of fortunes this year has been as a result of hard work from his players and gave the technical bench and the club management a pat on the back too for a job well done.

Baraza was in charge of the team when they downed Tusker FC in their second last match of the KPL action season at the Ruaraka Stadium, in place of head coach Ssimbwa who had travelled home to his country Uganda on compassionate leave.

“Last season was a very difficult one and we really struggled, but this season has been a different story. We have done our best in every game and I think we have exceeded expectations, thanks to the players, technical bench and the team management. And with everyone putting their best foot forward that’s the major reason why we have performed so well.

“As shown in our game against Tusker, the boys have been ready in every game this season and the result is there for all to see. We are not done yet this season but we believe we can finish in the second position  with God’s help. Ours now is to win our next game and have the number two,” Baraza said.

The team will finish their 2017 campaign with a game against Zoo Kericho who are still in the relegation battle.

Sofapaka captain Maurice Odipo is glad to having been the steward of a winning outfit in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) clash against 2016 champions Tusker at the latter’s backyard last Saturday.

Batoto Ba Mungu beat Tusker 1-0 in a match played at a sodden pitch at Tusker Village in Ruaraka and Odipo said he cannot thank his teammates enough following the success.

“Honestly, I feel happy to continue skippering a Sofapaka squad that is increasingly showing hunger for success. Mind you, it was not easy taming Tusker before their own fans and especially playing in atrocious pitch conditions occasioned by overnight rains,”

Added Odipo: ,”I want to sincerely thank all my teammates for their great contribution in this enviable breakthrough and obviously, I expect more of such cameo performance from them going forward,” said Odipo.

The no-nonsense defensive midfielder said winding up second in the top-tier league is Sofapaka’s ultimate dream, adding that they will treat the last match against Zoo Kericho in Narok next weekend with all the seriousness it deserves.

“We have crossed the hurdle against Tusker and now have Zoo Kericho to deal with as we approach the climax of the 2017 KPL. We are all oozing confidence and God willing, we should complete a double over Zoo and take the second position with open arms,” Odipo quipped.

Sofapaka will be taking on Zoo with the bragging rights of having beaten them 3-0 during the first leg at the Kericho Green Stadium on April 16, 2017.

Paul Odhiambo was the main assassin in the convincing win after notching a superb brace with Ezekiel Okare contributing the other goal.

Odipo reckons that although they are confident of grinding good results against Zoo in the upcoming reverse fixture, they expect nothing short of challenge from the visitors.

“You know, Zoo are trying to evade relegation and can be an extremely difficult side to handle but if we maintain our momentum, we should prevail over them. For us, we’ll be treating this match like a final,” remarked Odipo.

Sofapaka are still on cloud nine after inflicting Tusker a second defeat on a trot and as a result increased their chances of taking the runner-up position in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

Batoto Ba Mungu’s 1-0 win over Tusker at a muddy Ruaraka ground on Saturday is still the talk amongst football lovers who attended the match especially after the brewers had fallen by a similar margin to Thika United at the same venue a week earlier.

Most of these fans are of the opinion that had Sofapaka produced such kind of scintillating performance right from the onset of the league, it would have been a different story altogether in as far as the KPL title chase which has since been won by Gor Mahia is concerned.

Following their weekend success, Sofapaka shot up from the fourth to the second position with 52 points and will need an outright win over Zoo Kericho in their final match next weekend to be declared the undisputed KPL 2017 runners-up elect.

Yesterday, Sofapaka deputy coach John Baraza who has suddenly risen to an unsung hero status after propelling the team to the weekend’s conquest of Tusker gave plaudits to his players for a job well done.

“When you see a player like Okoti (Humphrey) scoring after recuperating from an injury then you know things are okay. There are more reasons to thank the team since most of the players who did duty against Tusker usually grace the bench,” said Baraza who has been holding brief in the absence of Head Coach Sam Ssimbwa.

Sofapaka had been hit by a plague of injuries on key players like Ali Feni, Jonathan Mugubi, Hillary Echesa and Bernard Mang’oli, forcing Baraza to gamble with the likes of Okoti, Samuel Muturia and Edmond Kwanya during the Tusker game and they did not disappoint.

Okoti even had the audacity of returning the faith bestowed on him by Baraza after rifling in a free-kick for Sofapaka’s winning goal before disbelieving Tusker fans.

What’s more, Sofapaka celebrated the return of scoring machine Umaru Kasumba who has just recovered from a nagging injury.

And, just like the rest of the first eleven players, Baraza had words of praise for the talismanic Ugandan striker despite failure to add on his 11-goal tally thus far in the league.

“Kasumba brought something different going forward and I’m’ glad that he was part of the players who subjected Tusker defence to a torrid afternoon,” said Baraza.

Playing with the knowledge that a loss was bound to give undue advantage to Posta Rangers, Tusker and Kakamega Homeboyz in the chase for the runner-up slot, Sofapaka gave Tusker very little breathing space, launching sporadic raids for a lengthy part of the match.

“Truth be told, we dominated the match against Tusker and certainly deserved to win it by an even bigger margin. We adjusted better to the muddy conditions of the pitch and kept prodding their defence and I’m happy with the three points,” said Baraza

Tusker FC coach Francis Baraza regrets the missed chances as the deposed Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions fell 1-0 to Sofapaka FC at the Ruaraka grounds on Saturday.

Humphrey Okoti was the man of the game today after giving the Batoto Ba Mungu the much needed boost taking his team to position two in the league standing.

Kasumba created the first goal by beating Tusker’s defense Eugene and hooking the ball into the box. It met Okoti whose first time strike was warded back into play by keeper David Okello and the defender made no mistake from the rebound, burying it in for the opener.

Sofapaka needs to win the next and the last game of the season to be the runner’s up, with Gor Mahia already taking the top spot with a twenty one point difference between them.

With the game loss,Tusker has sunked one position into position three in the current league standings condemned Tusker to their second consecutive home defeat.

At the start of the match, Tusker had a clear advantage over Sofapaka boys thanks to the tireless Boniface Muchiri whose runs down the left flank tormented the visitors early on.

But with Sofapaka welcoming back their lethal striker Umaru Kasumba following an injury lay-off, it proved that wasn’t a walk in the park for Coach Francis boys.

Sofapaka’s counterpart and namesake refused to be carried away by the result that saw his men break the three-match winless streak, shifting attention to their next round fixture.

Kasumba almost found the second after the restart but his flicked header narrowly missed the target.

Sofapaka FC and Tusker FC have each named their respective starting lineups that will clash in a Round of 33 league match at the Ruaraka Grounds on Saturday November 11.

Sofapaka have breathed a sigh of relief after welcoming back their top scorer Umaru Kasumba who missed the previous two games due to an injury. The Ugandan will lead his side in attack with assistance from Brian Magonya and Mohamed Kilume, who is making a comeback following the one-match ban.

Tusker FC (2016) kpl title champions are grappling with injury issues and will miss Michael Khamati, Allan Wanga, Hashim Sempala, Jackson Macharia and Martin Kizza for Saturday’s match. Their keeper  David Ochieng will be absent on a compassionate leave while their captain James Situma, will be out due to suspension.

Rookie custodian Bryne Omondi has found a spot in the match day squad, as a result and will start from the bench, assisting David Okello while defender David Mwangi also makes it into the substitutes bench.

Sofapaka Starting XI: Mathias Kigonya (GK), Samuel Mutiria, Maurice Odipo (c), Willis Ouma, Aloro Rodgers, Mohamed Kilume, Francis Ocholla, Humphrey Okoti, Umaru Kasumba, Brian Magonya and Meshack Karani.

Subs: George Opiyo (GK), Edmond Kwanya, Kennedy Oduor, Michael Oduor, Morven Otinya, Ezekiel Okare, Hansel Ochieng.

Tusker Starting XI: David Okello (GK), Collins Shivachi, Marlon Tangauzi, Lloyd Wahome, Eugine Asike, Humphrey Mieno, Brian Osumba, Sydney Ochieng, Boniface Muchiri, Paul Odhiambo , Clifford Alwanga 

Subs: Byrne Omondi, David Mwangi, Abdul Hassan, Cercidy Okeyo, Danson Kago, Noah Wafula, Stephen Owusu

The 2009 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Sofapaka are assured of having goalkeeper George Opiyo for the 2018 campaign, should they need to extend his contract.

The keeper is headed towards the end of his one year deal, entered with the club at the start of the year as he rejoined the team for his second stint and he says if he will still be in head coach Sam Ssimbwa’s plans he will be happy to play ball.

A leader in the team, Opiyo has had limited play time this season, with the Ugandan international Mathias Kigonya keeping watch between the sticks more matches than him, but the keeper believes even as a squad player he has had an impact in the team’s rise after surviving relegation in 2016.

“Sofapaka is like home to me; my second home. Even as my contract heads to expiry, I have not considered leaving. If the club still needs my services I can confirm I will be here,” he said.

Should an agreement fail to materialize, the keeper says he still has years to perform at the top and will be open to new offers elsewhere.

“Of course if I do not renew (contract) I will have to look elsewhere. I am open to a fresh offer and a new experience if it comes to that,” he added.

In the recent years, Opiyo has featured for Tusker and KCB. At Sofapaka in the season, he has been ahead of youngster Reuben Juma in coach Ssimbwa’s pecking order.

Sofapaka deputy coach John Baraza is determined to give the team’s fans an early Christmas ‘gift’ by overcoming former Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Tusker on Saturday in Ruaraka in the team’s quest to wind up in the second position this season.

The match has been described as a Nairobi derby of sorts and Baraza flatly points out that during his playing days with Sofapaka, they used to prevail over Tusker and believes that Saturday’s meeting will not be an exception.

“We used to meet these guys (Tusker) often and had a habit of beating them hands down. I believe the current Sofapaka squad is up to the task to continue with this wonderful legacy,” said Baraza.

The tactician, who is in charge of the team following the absence of Sam Ssimbwa who is in Uganda, has expressed satisfaction in all departments of the team although he was concerned with the injury on utility midfielder Bernard Mang’oli.

“Mangoli’s inner part of the foot is troubling him and he will need to go through therapy before he can be declared fully fit to play. All the same, there are suitable replacements,” said Baraza.

Despite oozing confidence, Baraza has instructed his charges to be cautious against Tusker.

‘”Tusker is a strong team which is why we should give them due respect but they are beatable for a good measure. We lost our last match against Sony Sugar and we are aware that any further slump will not auger well with our supportive fans. Simply put, our buzz word is winning the match against Tusker as well as the final one,” observed Baraza.

Since they temporarily shifted their workouts to Ruiru from Nairobi, Sofapaka have been a big hit amongst curious football fans in the cosmopolitan town with most turning up to watch them train.

Sofapaka Ugandan striker Umaru Kasumba who has recovered from injury is more than desirous to catch up with the leading pack in the chase for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) Golden Boot Award.

Kasumba was in his homeland in Uganda for treatment after picking up a shoulder injury which he has since shrugged and is ready for the two remaining fixtures that will determine who carriers.

‘I’m back in Kenya and can’t wait to continue shaking the net in the KPL. Honestly, getting injured was the last thing in my mind but here I’m as fit as a fiddle. Since I landed at Sofapaka my ultimate dream was to score the highest number of goals and God willing, this will happen,” said Kasumba soon after Sofapaka’s training session at Ruiru Stadium.
Kasumba who has mesmerized Kenyan fans with his scoring antics added: “I have trained for two days now and if all goes well, I should plunder more goals on Saturday,” added Kasumba in reference to the much-talked clash against erstwhile champions Tusker in Ruaraka.

So far, Kasumba has netted 11 goals, one shy of the 12 struck by Gor Mahia duo of Jacques Tuyisnge and Meddie Kagere and Nakumatt’s Kepha Aswani as Kariobangi Sharks’ Masoud Juma tops with 15 strikes to his name.

Kasumba faces a monumental as he will need to score at least four goals against Tusker and hope Masoud stall if he is to be crowned KPL goal-scoring king.

However, Kasumba reckons that if the worst gets to the worst, he won’t mind winding up amongst the three best top scorers.

“Scoring four goals in one match is not child’s play bit it is possible. If I will be fielded, I will strive in covering almost each blade of the grass on the pitch to achieve what I want,” said Kasumba.

Kasumba missed two matches against Mathare United (0-0) and the loss to Sony Sugar

With Gor Mahia having been declared the 2017 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions, the penultimate matches involving Sofapaka, Tusker and Posta Rangers this weekend might just give a clue as to which among the three teams stand to wind up second in the league.

While Sofapaka will be aiming for the scalp of last year’s champions Tusker in Ruaraka on Saturday, Rangers will come face to face with relegation-battling Western Stima at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu.

But, certainly, the match between Sofapaka and Tusker is the main highlight for the simple reason that it will bring together battle-hardened sides which have previously won the KPL title unlike Rangers and Stima.

In the league statistics, Rangers occupy the second position with 50 points followed by Tusker who have a similar tally but with an inferior goal difference, as Sofapaka lie fourth with 49 points.

Despite being placed behind Rangers and Tusker in the top-tier league’s pecking order, Sofapaka have boldly declared that they are ready to risk life and limb to grab the runners-up slot.

Sofapaka Deputy coach John Baraza who is holding brief for the team’s senior tactician Sam Ssimbwa, who is in Uganda after attending a relative’s burial, believes Batoto Ba Mungu has the firepower to stop Tusker in their quest for a second position in the league.

“I have the players with the requisite experience to grind good results in Ruaraka. What I want is total concentration for all the players I will field in this particular match. There are no two ways about it,” observed Baraza.

The team’s Technical Director Martin Ndagano has downplayed home advantage by Tusker, saying he does not think Batoto Ba Mungu will be overawed, by playing before the brewers fans.

“Football dynamics have changed and home ground advantage doesn’t count much. Remember, Tusker lost to Thika United in Ruaraka last week and I fail to see why Sofapaka should not administer the same dose to them,” remarked Ndagano.

He added, ”Obviously, we expect a tough match but Tusker should better be warned that Sofapaka are prepared to make life very difficult for them on the pitch,”

For Sofapaka, the good news is that the team’s red-hot striker Umaru Kasumba has recovered from an injury and is a probable starter in the showdown against Tusker.

Kasumba, who was in his native Uganda for treatment, trained with the team yesterday at Ruiru Stadium in anticipation for the match and will most likely partner either Ali Feni or Ezekiel Okare in search of goals.

Indefatigable Ugandan defender Jonathan Mugabi alongside Willis Ouma, Rodgers Aloro and Wesley Onguso are expected to take care of the defence line as Mohammed Kilume and Hillary Echesa lead the midfield.

Sofapaka have temporarily shifted their training to Ruiru from Eastleigh High School ground which has been rendered unplayable due to the ongoing rains in Nairobi.