Wycliffe Opondo on the touch lines during a coaching session in Nairobi. Photo:Courtesy
Retired Kenya Premier League ( KPL) player Wycliffe Opondo has vowed to steer his new club Dandora Youth FC to Kenya’s second tier football league, the National Super League ( NSL) after getting romped in as their new head coach on Monday.
Speaking in Nairobi after meeting the club’s officials and being confirmed as the new head coach, Opondo was excited for his new challenge saying that Dandora estate is known for its massive footballing talents, an advantage to his new club as they seek top flight Football recognition in Nairobi County.
” I want to have a mark and leave a legacy here. Dandora is full of potential that needs a little fine tuning and we will all see the results. I will meet the squad on Tuesday afternoon and from there once I asses the players, I will come up with a clear road map to NSL,” insisted Opondo adding that in his playing days he was a top footballer who only but played Kenya’s first tier football league, something that he is going to instill in his players as they now both seek glory.
Dandora Youth finished at position 11 in Zone A of the Football Kenya Federation ( FKF) Divison one league in Nairobi with 36 points after 29 games, a log that had 16 teams with the bottom three being relegated.
Opondo’s preseason starts on Tuesday afternoon at they new Dandora Stadium as he prepares his charges for the new season with all dreams being on gaining promotion to Kenya’s topflight Football leagues.
The club will also look into the possibilities of recruiting more players to fill in the positions of a few who have already left for greener pastures, an opportunity for Opondo to now set his philosophy straight to his charges, the way he wants football played according to him.
The former Chemilil Sugar FC, Gormahia, Thika United, Sofapaka and Kakamega Homeboyz midfielder had to cut short his playing career at only 28 years old when he tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament muscle ( ACL), only to take to coaching after Mathare United coach John Kamau inspired him to his coaching licenses back then when he coached him at the now defunct Thika United fc.
As Opondo begins his club level coaching career, he is upbeat and confident that the Dandora community has got the right man to put smiles, laughter and cheers again to the many football fans who have waited for years to see their beloved club rise to Kenya’s football elite leagues, only to fall short, but this time round, they just might have hit their jack pot.
