•Shabana and Murang’a Seal qualified for next year’s KPL after amassing an unassailable 64 points.
•Shabana coach Sammy Okoth remained unfazed by the fact that one of their remaining games will be away at St Sebastian Park against Murang’a Seal.
Image: ANGWENYI GICHANA
A day after sealing a place in next year’s Kenya Premier League, the Shabana coach Sammy Okoth believes his side is in a pole position to lift the NSL title.
Shabana and Murang’a Seal qualified for next year’s KPL after amassing an unassailable 64 points. On Monday, Shabana coach Sammy Okoth said: “We have four games while our opponents have three. So I believe we are in a better position in the race for the title.”
He added: “At the beginning of the season, my target was to lift the NSL title, qualify for the KPL, and beat all teams in the league. So far, I have only achieved one which is leading the team to KPL. The only two teams I have not beaten are Gusii and Kisumu All-Stars. We are playing Kisumu in our last game.”
In the hunt for the NSL title, Shabana will on Friday travel to Nairobi for a game against Darajani Gogo.
“Now that we have qualified to KPL, the boys are not under any pressure in the remaining games but winning the NSL title remains our target,” noted the tactician, who led Shabana to the KPL after 17 years in the cold.
He remained unfazed by the fact that one of their remaining games will be away at St Sebastian Park against Murang’a Seal. “Nothing is impossible. We beat them in the first leg and we can beat them away”
On their plans after qualifying for the KPL, the coach remained coy. “I will leave everything to the management. We shall sit together and come up with a plan because Shabana have been away from the top-flight league,” he noted.
The coach admitted that the season has been challenging.
“The season has been full of up and downs because I literally built a new team. It has not been easy but I’m happy we have qualified to the top-tier league. We remained focused despite the problems we faced especially finances,” he noted.
On his future, the coach said: “I have achieved what I was brought to do. I leave the rest to the management to decide if they want someone else to steer the team in the KPL.”
However, a member of the team’s management said it was early to talk about the future of the coach.
“The coach has guided the team to the KPL. We want him to continue coaching the team,” said the official who asked not to be named.