Marafiki FC Technical Director James Kabuga says the pain of losing in the preliminary rounds of the Mozzart Bet Cup last year will fuel his side to go deeper this time around.The Division One side will kick start its second successive stab at the domestic title when it plays host to FKF Premier League’s Bidco United at Kabirui-ini Show Ground on Sunday 23 February (1500 EAT).
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For Kabuga, the Round of 64 tie will mean amending their 1-0 loss to Talanta that happened at such a time last year.“It felt bad,” Kabuga says of the preliminary round loss at Kinunga Stadium. “At that time we felt really prepared.“We had just beaten JKUAT FC in our first game, and thought we would be ready to make a statement.”Reality, however, dawned on them.##NAJAVA_MECA_8720238##“That Talanta side was really good,” Kabuga says. “They were doing well in the Premier League, and we had to make do with the result despite going so close.”A year later, Marafiki are no longer in Division Two, as they are now fifth in Division One Zone A, having played 18 matches this season.“Our promotion was really a big thing for us, and meant we had to make some changes to our squad, just so that we could compete,” the club administrator says.“I like the look of my defensive line and the goalkeeper, plus we have three experienced players who have featured in the top-tier.”Police promise to unleash heavy artillery against Superior Hotel in Mozzart Bet Cup round of 64As a matter of fact, Marafiki have the joint-second best defense in Division One Zone A, and perhaps better-suited this time, to go past another Premier League team in their way.On Bidco’s form, he says: “Not so good. I think it will be a good challenge for us, but I can assure them that they will see dust.”Bidco are currently placed 17th in the Premier League, and haven’t tasted victory since shocking Gor Mahia 1-0 on 8 December last year.Perfect match-up?Junior Starlets fired up for World Cup Qualifiers meeting with Uganda“We will turn the tables this time round,” Kabuga says, adding that an appearance in the quarter-finals is the team’s target this year.“We saw last year that it is possible for lower-tier teams to shock Premier League giants. That is what we aim to do, and I am excited about the kind of impact this will have on our community, who don’t get to see such matches on a regular basis.”
