Shabana FC midfielder Justine Omwando has exuded confidence that the club will remain in the FKF Premier League (FKFPL) at the end of the season. The league returnees have found life in the top flight laborious, as the team is languishing deep into the relegation zone due to their persistently poor run. The team has played twenty-four rounds just like the rest, winning four, drawing six, and losing fourteen matches, having them sit second from bottom with 18 points to show for. The substandard performance forced the club’s management to make a number of changes, both in the playing unit and technical bench, in a bid to hold on to their top-flight status. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8012517##Late last year, the club parted ways with then head coach Sammy Okoth, who has since joined National Super League (NSL) side Migori Youth FC, with former Kenya Police tactician Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo succeeding him in January 2023.Omollo kicked off his reign with a 5-2 triumph over Nzoia Sugar, which injected renewed hope for the club in their bid to avoid dropping to the second-tier league when the season closes.However, the bright start dwindled off with the ‘Glamour Boys’ faithfuls helplessly watching their team undergo yet another winless streak, losing their last six matches.Worse still, for the Kisii-based side, they suffered yet another heartbreak as their Mozzart Bet Cup journey was brought to an end by AFC Leopards, who eliminated them in the round-of-16 tie following a narrow 1-0 defeat by Ingwe.However, despite the poor performance, Justine Omwando has expressed confidence in the team staying afloat at the end of the season. The FKFPL action resumes over the weekend after a month-long break that paved the way for cup and FIFA international matches.With the league entering the home stretch phase, the Sammy “Pamzo” Omollo lead side will have to find a formula to grind out results in their remaining ten matches if they are to sustain their top-flight status.”It has been a tough season for us, especially having a strong support base but not getting the results. We had hoped for a fair outing, but that has not been the case. However, I’m hopeful we are going to do well in our remaining matches and seal our stay at the top,” he uttered The skillful midfielder, who joined Shabana in 2020 from Migori Youth, has individually had an overall positive campaign where he has scored four goals and recorded four assists, respectively. Additionally, Omwando scored the club’s first Premier League goal in over a decade in their opening match of the season against FC Talanta. Earlier in the year, he grabbed a hat-trick too during Shabana’s 5-2 win over bottom-placed Nzoia Sugar FC. The former Mara Sugar man says he’s satisfied with his performance in his debut season and hopes he can inspire the team to do well in the remaining final matches. “It has been a dream start for me in my top-flight career, and I am happy I have had an impact on the team. However, my efforts will go unnoticed if we go down a path that I don’t wish to happen. I hope I can do better in the remaining fixtures in order to secure safety at the tail end of the season,” he added.
