Rugged Sofapaka defender Faina Jacobs has disclosed the confidence shown in him by coach John Baraza challenged him to give his best when handed a starting opportunity.
Faina has been an ever-present figure in the backline since coach Baraza took charge and his partnership with Moussa Omar has been rock solid.
He did not play much at the start of the season but has been a mainstay in the team since Baraza took over and he has often singled him out for praise.
“As a player, the most important thing for you is playing time and when coach Baraza showed confidence to give me a starting place, I had to work hard to repay his faith. “Every time I would be on the pitch, I wanted to play my best game possible and not let him down,” Faina said.
“For him to give me a starting position meant he saw something in me and I had to deliver. I kept pushing each game and my teammates have also helped me a lot to play each game better,”
He added: “The season has turned out very well and actually better than I thought. For me, this is a good step and hopefully, it can be a springing board for next season.”
Faina now believes they can vie for the title next season if the team is kept together. “The problem is that this season, we didn’t start well. Had we begun better especially in our first seven games, we would be talking something different now,”
“We have learnt from our mistakes this season and we have worked very hard to make up for lost ground because most people had written us off. If we stay together with the cohesion and understanding we have built as a team, we will be formidable next season,” he stated.
“I know we have a good team. We have players who can step up anytime and I believe we will win. Our target now is to finish in the second position and we will fight to get there,” he concluded. Faina will return to the squad after missing the weekend clash with Nzoia Sugar due to suspension when they face Chemelil in Machakos tomorrow.
