William Oricho’s elevation to the role of assistant coach at National Super League (NSL) side Darajani Gogo Boys FC advances the once little known club’s vision of playing for change. Oricho, at 25, and perhaps the youngest one in that capacity in the entire division, will deputise seasoned tactician Paul Ogai formerly of Sofapaka FC. The fleet-footed midfielder, however, reveals what actually sent him to the dugout midway through a once promising career in the midfield. ‘’I had to finally call it quits,’’ Oricho says.’’It had been years and nothing seemed to change the injury I got while at Wazito. Tried plenty of remedies and despite occasionally coming back, I could never last long.’’The fleet-footed midfielder, with a playing history in Nyanza and Western too, suffered his first major knock just weeks after being roped in at Wazito and would not feature once for the then NSL side. A lengthy lay-off had him come back with Darajani Gogo who then played in the fourth tier; the FKF Division 2. He was immediately drafted in as captain owing to his experience with both the club and the community. ‘’Gogo gave me a second chance to come back up. I was actually just looking to keep my fitness levels up but then we earned promotion into the Division One and within no time- the NSL. Pressure mounted on me to stay,’’ he continues. EXCLUSIVE: Darajani Gogo set to appoint William Oricho as assistant coachAn away pre-season friendly match with Ulinzi Stars proved fatal for Oricho as the exacerbation that came with another second knock in this clash sent him out again. It would be for good. So the very kind management at Gogo drafted him in as a trainer, amateur at the time. He has since earned his CAF D Coaching licence. ‘’I wanted to quit altogether but Gogo invited me to the technical bench. It was key for them to have someone who understood the players well.,’’ Oricho says, adding that in his brief spell on the bench, a lot has unraveled for him.‘’Moving directly from being a player to being a coach is not as easy because sometimes you forget that you are no longer a player anymore. The senior people I work with have proved very helpful in this regard and pushed me in the right direction.’’##NAJAVA_MECA_7891662##Darajani Gogo sits 9th on the NSL log and not too far from the promotion-chasing pack who are just three points above them. The side, which mainly draws its bulk of players from a talent-rich Kibra area, insists on playing for change. Giving the talented youth a near-top tier stage to showcase, and, in effect advance their potential. Oricho, absorbed from the playing unit to the technical bench at 25, is a distinct example. The midfielder has previously played for Chemelil Sugar FC and Vihiga United in the top flight, Kibera Black Stars, Wazito and Darajani Gogo in the second tier NSL.
