Mara Sugar FC only wanted to stay up during their maiden season in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) and a resilient first leg showing from the Awendo-based side has them sitting 13 on the log with just six matches to go for the season. Placed four points above the relegation zone, Benedict Wanjala’s charges will have to weather through the league homestretch without dependable center-back Drona Openda Langa, and their recent come-back draw against KCB FC indicates they already have. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news!Openda limped off against Ulinzi Stars, a 1-0 away loss in the second leg but would again show up the next match week against Posta Rangers.##NAJAVA_MECA_8877176##Little did he know, he had picked up a muscle strain that limited his defensive abilities and was only serving to aggravate it.An MRI after their contest against Mathare United meant he would finally have to sit out a considerable number of matches. ‘’It was against Ulinzi Stars that I first experienced some pain and couldn’t make long balls but after a brief checkup by our team physio, there seemed no cause for alarm at the time. I played five more matches before it became apparent that I would have to seek advanced medical attention. An MRI scan later showed an aggravated muscle strain,’’ says the stylish centre-back.On form Shabana striker opens up on Kenya U20 exclusion and future plansArrangements have,however, been made for him to seek advanced medical attention in the capital.While Mara heads out to Nairobi this weekend to face a title-chasing Gor Mahia, Openda will be seeking a second opinion on his injury.‘’Plans have been made by the team for me to travel to Nairobi for a medical checkup. That’s when I’ll be told what the next course of action will be,’’ he says. Mara, though lying precariously at 13th on the log, still have some semblance of hope in lifting silverware this season.Their aborted round of 32 Mozzart Bet Cup contest against AFC Leopards has not yet been decided upon yet.Felix Oluoch reveals Posta’s plan after beating AFC LeopardsOpenda, who has been with the team since 2019, earning promotion twice (FKF Division 1 and the National Super League), says of their maiden top flight campaign; it hasn’t been terrible. ‘’A majority of us were new to the top flight but we had one weapon; cohesion. Having played together for so long, some even more than five years, we knew sticking together and banking on our chemistry was the key to matching the big boys. It worked,’’ continues the 27 year old. Credit to the side that barely changed its NSL-title winning squad from the second tier, Mara have recorded some incredible performances this season and even though currently lying in the bottom half, one can say they did the bulk of the work in the first leg. ‘’We didn’t set lofty targets when we came up. We wanted to just stay in the top 8 bracket. Avoiding the bottom half for a KPL newbie is wise because you always want to stay away from the drop zone,’’ he adds.Returning Sofapaka forward on importance of goal against Gor MahiaFC Talanta, Murang’a Seal and Nairobi City Stars occupy the three red spots at the bottom of the log, with City at the base- just a mere two wins away from Mara Sugar.Openda knows it’s not over yet, but most importantly, he knows his teammates are more than capable of steering the ship to a safe dock. ‘’Regardless of whatever happens with my injury, I feel we have achieved something. My teammates are more than capable of finishing the season without me and they have shown that already,’’ he concludes. The millers, who haven’t won in their last seven matches, have their date against Gor Mahia on the 27th April.
