Sofapaka head coach Robert Matano has hailed the significance of veteran midfielder Humphrey Mieno to the team’s improved performance this season.The club beat Kariobangi Sharks 2-1 on Sunday to move to tenth place on the log with 13 points.Former Thika United striker opens up ‘juju’ experience against Gor MahiaDespite being at the twilight of his career, Mieno has continued to play a significant role in helping the club pick good results and Matano has praised his performance.“He is a very important player as he is the only experienced one in the team. Majority of the players are new, nearly all of them so he helps a lot in organization and maturity,” he said.##NAJAVA_MECA_8540808##Mieno joined Sofapaka this season after a two-year stint at Tusker FC where he worked with Matano when he was the coach at the Brewers.The 35-year-old has been a key player in all the clubs he has featured for during his playing career.Gor Mahia legend Blackberry set for league comebackApart from Tusker and Sofapaka, he has also played for AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia, KCB and the defunct Makahama FC.He also had a stint in Tanzania with Azam and St. George’s in Ethiopia before returning to the local league.##NAJAVA_MECA_8540795##Elsewhere, Matano has praised his players after seeing off Kariobangi Sharks on Sunday at Dandora Stadium and believes the win will propel them to finish in a respectable position.“It was a tough match and tactically we matched them in every department. We actually lost many chances and should have won by an even bigger margin.##NAJAVA_MECA_48628##Generally, we have been playing well but were let down by small mistakes and lack of concentration which we are working on with every game. Our players must learn to concentrate until the last minute.We are not going to find ourselves in a relegation battle this time around. It cannot happen under me as I don’t have much experience in the teams I have worked at.”
