Returning to the first division is not an option KK Palace is open to, says head coach Anderson Phiri.
The Zambian mentor is determined to maintain the Ondangwa club’s Debmarine Namibia Premier League status, following a torrid campaign back in the premier division 20 years after their previous relegation.
To achieve that ambition, his team has to fight for every available point during the remainder of the 2024/25 Premier League season, he says.
In keeping with how the season has unfolded for them so far, Palace experienced mixed results away from home over the weekend.
They went down 2-0 to Khomas Nampol on Saturday before securing a rare but crucial win when they beat fellow strugglers Young Brazilian 1-0 on Sunday.
The win gave Palace much-needed breathing room as they now lie 10th on the log with a four-point buffer between themselves and Bucks Buccaneers who top the drop zone.
“Today we created more scoring chances than our opponents, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net. Our current target is to remain in the Premier League, but that can only happen if we start accumulating points,” Phiri said following defat to Nampol.
His generally goal-shy side responded with a hard-fought victory over the second-last Brazilians.
Phiri stressed that their primary objective at the moment is to avoid relegation, expressing hope that his squad will pull through.
“We just need to maintain composure as a team when we are in front of the goal. As a coach, you start to wonder what is going wrong when you create scoring opportunities but fail to convert them. So, it’s now about returning to the drawing board with the team to assess what we can improve,” Phiri said in Round 14 of the Debmarine Namibia Premiership at Independence Stadium in Windhoek, Olympia.
After 14 matches, KK Palace are ranked 11th with 14 points in a 16-team league.
They have won only three games, drawn five and lost six, sitting three points above Young Brazilians in 14th place – the start of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, African Stars have found a substantive head coach, following the appointment of Bob Mafoso from Lesotho yesterday.
He takes over from stand-in head coach Benedictus Haoseb, who has held the reins since ex-head coach Ronny Kanalelo abruptly quit towards the end of February.
During his short spell at the helm, Haoseb led the club in the inaugural MTC Maris Cup and wrestled the NPFL standing’s summit back from Khomas Nampol.
“As we welcome coach Boba Mafoso to the African Stars family, we invite all our loyal fans to pack the stadiums support the team, and be part of this exciting journey,” Stars said when announcing the new head coach arrival on its socials yesterday.
“The mission is clear-more trophies, more history, more glory.” – Adapted from Nampa
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