Sofapaka’s Baraza expecting more after silencing Gor

Sofapaka head coach John Baraza has said Saturday’s 3-1 victory over 18-time Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia will go a long way in motivating his charges in the remaining fixtures of the season.

Baraza made light work of the locally dreaded Gor, who would have soaked in more having survived several clear-cut onslaughts by the aggressive Sofapaka whom he says have found new energy for the second round of the league.

Speaking exclusively to Citizen Digital after the victory, the multiple KPL Golden Boot winner in his hey days with Batoto Ba Mungu pointed out that stopping K’Ogalo was more than just three points.

“It has given my players more confidence going forward because Gor Mahia is a big team. Beating them did not come as a surprise however, because we were very dominant in the first leg in Kisumu just over a week ago. We have also won this trophy a few years back so it was not shocking to us. We had worked for it and done a lot of practice. Steven Polack, their coach also knew we are a dangerous side based on what he said before the game,” offered the soft spoken tactician.

Baraza has also hailed the players who have joined the 2009 champions in the recent January transfer window and have already started off on a promising note, including in the mouth-watering clash in Narok, against Gor.

“We always try and look for players from outside the country to try and add competition and confidence to our home-based players. Our president Elly Kalekwa has a lot of connections and his scouts are good. He therefore recommends to us players whom we welcome to the club and offer trials, if they are good enough we sign them. That is what we did in the January window, and it is already paying dividends,” an exhilarated Baraza explained.

He however expects more from the new players in his group, underscoring they are showing commendable zeal before even settling fully.

“We currently have four or five new players who have not played many games together. We just want to give them time to train together and form a formidable team. At the moment we are playing well, so I expect more when they will be acquainted to each other,” the 42-year-old coach added.

One of the new signings already laying his mark is forward Promise Chinoso who grabbed two goals against K’Ogalo.

“I am totally speechless and I want to thank God and my teammates. I am very happy; this start has given me confidence. If God can enable me to get two goals against Gor that means we can score against any team therefore I believe we can finish among top-three teams.

“Life in SofaPaka has been great, since I joined this team, I feel like I have been here for many years,” he enthusiastically added.