Do or die affair for Zoo in league resumption

As the football fraternity received the much needed reprieve that the blanket ban on all sporting activities in the country had been lifted following the Labour Day announcement by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Zoo FC head coach Herman Iswekha took the news as a chance to start plotting his team’s survival.

Since the 2020/2021 Football Kenya Federation Premier League season commenced back in November, the Kericho-based club has failed to get itself out of the relegation places since being thrust back into the league. After more than a month of suspended action now, the head coach now believes that heading back into the second half of the season is their only lifeline if they are to continue their stay in the top flight.

“We have not been training since the ban was imposed. But from Tuesday, I believe we will have started our training with the whole group and once I commence my work with the boys, it will solely be focused on beating the drop. I have faith that we will get out of the relegation scrap that we have found ourselves in. Currently, we have two games in hand and if we win those games, we will get ourselves out of those positions,” the head coach revealed.

The head coach went on to reveal that after the ban was lifted, the team had already started making plans of getting back together after most of the first team players had dispersed to various parts of the country now that there was no action to engage in. The fact that now all the teams were starting on almost level playing ground also lifted Iswekha’s spirits and the team chances.

“Most of the boys went home. So very few of those around are just youngsters. Majority of the first team and first eleven members went away but I expect them to be back by around Tuesday or Wednesday after the team initiated plans to bring them back. The good thing right now is all of us are starting from the same point,” Iswekha stated.

Whether the team can beat the drop only awaits to be seen. The club currently sits bottom of the log in 18th place on a paltry 8 points after playing fourteen matches in the league so far. If the league is to pick up from where it settled, Iswekha’s side would be up against title hopefuls AFC Leopards, perched in 3rd, in Nairobi.