Bungoma Queens head coach Robert Machio says his primary objective is to maintain their Kenya Women's Premier League status at the end of the season.
Queens earned promotion to the KWPL after beating Uweza Women on post-match penalties at the Rift Valley Technical Institute grounds on August 6.
And on Saturday, they bagged their first away win — 2-1 against Zetech Sparks — at Imani grounds.
Machio said he doesn't want to be involved in the relegation dogfight, focusing on safeguarding their position with a decent finish.
"My main goal is to earn maximum points in every match we play to help us solidify our position in the league. Winning the title is not our immediate goal, maybe next year — if we manage to remain afloat,'' said Machio.
The league debutants are currently in seventh place in the 12-team league with seven points from five matches, thus two wins, two losses, and a draw.
Machio also hopes to drop the underdogs' tag, especially after the win against a well-organised Zetech team.
"Beating a tough opponent like Zetech demonstrates that we are gradually moving away from that underdog status. We had to bring our best performance to the match," he added.
Machio had earlier rued his team's lack of experience in the top flight but he believes their match against Zetech has changed his perception.
"When we were new to the league, I observed that my players needed time to adapt. Now I see increased maturity and energy in them. They understand the need to be as competitive as the other teams and won't use inexperience as an excuse," said Machio.
Machio said revenge was in their minds heading to the clash against Zetech after losing 4-1 to Bernard Kitolo's students in a Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Women’s Cup last year.
''This was our first encounter with Zetech in the league, but we were familiar with them. After losing to them in the FKF Cup, our girls were determined to secure a win this time around. The victory boosted their confidence and morale, which will be valuable in the future," Machio said.
"We played a good game and stuck to our plan which was to mark them from the first to the last whistle as well as taking our chances when we advance. We are happy with the outcome and hope to build on it going forward," he added.
Queens face second-placed Bunyore Starlets this weekend.
