HAPPY WITH DEBUT: Vihiga United squad excited after club earns promotion to premier league
Football
By
Eric Lungai
| Feb 04, 2017
Excitement has hit Vihiga United camp after they received news they had been promoted to the Sportpesa Premier League.
Head coach Edward Manoah said the news came as a sweet surprise, after they went through a tedious club licensing process in the last few months.
“When the new office at Football Kenya Federation asked clubs to comply with licensing, we started the process immediately. That we had been promoted was the best news I have received since the year started,” Manoah told journalists at the club's training ground in Kidundu.
He noted his work right now is to try and work on the players’ mind-set so they can be ready for the league in the next week.
“One of the club’s mission is to nurture young talent. Majority of the players we have brought in are raw talent, but I trust them. With a right mindset, we will do better in the league,” he said.
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The former AFC Leopards tactician said that although he had not recruited any big names, he is not worried.
“In football, big names are born, they are not just bought. While playing in the super league, some of our players were called to the national team. That shows the depth of the squad we have,” he said.
He said former AFC Leopards skipper Martin Imbalambala who joined the team, will help the other players to cope with the premier league as he has the experience.
Manoah however warned the fans that they should not expect the team to be too ambitious when they start playing the league matches next week.
Club chairman Kahi Indimuli said the club had achieved its mission since being established three years ago.
“When we established Vihiga United, we gave ourselves a three-year target of getting into top tier. Just as the dream seemed impossible, we received the greatest news ever,” Indimuli said.
The club is sponsored by the County Government of Vihiga. The county’s chief executive committee member in the charge of finance, Moses Luvisi said they had allocated enough money to the team this season, and there is no need to worry.
“We are ready to see this club grow,” he said.
The team had recruited nine new players, dropped eight players and lost four including their captain to other teams.