Sofapaka head coach Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno has assured the club’s faithful that the team will not be relegated. Zico said keeping the team in the top flight is his main objective and together with the players, he believes, will ensure that the 2009 league champions remain in the league.Sofapaka found themselves in the thick of the relegation matrix this season but have made the first step in evading the chop by securing a relegation/promotion playoff position.They will battle it out with the third-best team in the National Super League with the winner on aggregate featuring in the top tier next season.##NAJAVA_MECA_8173396##Unlike in 2009 when they were the moneybags and won the league in their maiden season having been promoted from the NSL, they have had financial challenges in recent seasons which have made it impossible for the team to challenge for titlesOver the weekend they made a comeback and won 3-1 against Nzoia courtesy of goals from Sebastine Sunday, Jacob Onyango and Darius Msagha. There is light at the end of Kenyan football tunnel, says McKinstryZico says they are still on course to achieve the target“From the beginning, we were fighting to avoid relegation and I did say that Sofapaka will not be relegated. For us, we just want to focus. Next week, we will know our opponents and thereafter we start preparing for them,” he said.In his assessment of the season and final game against Nzoia, the former Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars tactician attributed the poor run to their inability to convert chances and defend well.“We were unlucky last time when we played against Nairobi City Stars where we created a lot of chances but we did not utilize them. Against Nzoia, I am happy that even though we did not have a good game in the first half, we played better in the second half and managed to score two goals that allowed us to win 3-1,” he explained.How Shabana won the relegation battle in closing stages of the seasonZico has also disclosed that he is not going to change strategy or Sofapaka’s approach in the playoffs as they have been playing well save for converting their chances. Sofapaka will know their opponents in the playoffs after the weekend when the NSL comes to an end. Either the third-placed Naivas or Nairobi United will face Sofapaka in the playoff.
