Omino wants underdogs Stima to go all the way

Western Stima Head Coach, Henry Omino, has backed his side to go on and pip Kenyan Premier League (KPL) leaders, Tusker FC, to the crown following their irresistible late surge that has seen the veteran tactician become the first man to win the Fidelity Coach of the Month twice since its inception in February.

Speaking to Citizen Digital after winning a vote by the football committee of the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) to bag monthly gong on Tuesday morning, Omino said his charges are ready to capitalize on slips from Tusker and second-placed Gor Mahia FC.

“We want to finish first. We have been called the underdogs but we’ve already shown great consistency in our performance so am sure we can surprise everyone over the last five rounds.

“If Tusker win the GOtv Shield Cup and we, in turn, finish at least second in the league then we can be assured of continental football next season,” Omino asserted.

Stima bagged maximum points in September with league wins over Nairobi City Stars and struggling giants, AFC Leopards, that took them to within four points of defending champions K’Ogalo.

The 53-year-old who was voted ahead of Tusker’s Paul Nkata, Sony Sugar’s Salim Babu and Gor Mahia’s Jose ‘Marcelo’ Ferreira credited the club’s management and the team effort from his players as the reason behind the recent success at the club.

“There has been a big change in our team; the support from the management has been amazing. Also, player discipline and hard work have played a big part in our rise and hopefully we can keep this up,” Omino added.

The Coach was previously crowned the Coach of the month for July after guiding Stima into the top five despite losing his top scorer, Baron Oketch, in the June transfer window after he was snapped up by Gor.

Fitting enough, the Kisumu-based club will next have an away trip to K’Ogalo knowing that a win would slash their points deficit down to just one when the league resumes on October, 12.

“It’s not the first time we are playing them, we are very motivated ahead of the fixture,” Omino said.