ZESCO United Football Club Team Ya Ziko
Kenyan international and ZESCO United goalkeeper, Ian Otieno has been in fine form since penning a 3-year deal with the nine times Zambian Super League champions.
Largely known for his great reflexes, ability to begin play from the back and his knack for commanding his defense authoritatively, Otieno caught the eye of ZESCO United Football Club management.
It didn’t take too long for Team Ya Ziko to snatch the Kenyan from Zambia’s envoy in the 2021/22 CAF Confederation Cup Red Arrows.
With former ZESCO United veteran goalkeeper, Jacob Banda getting to the twilight of his career, the Kenyan quickly hit the ground running bringing stability between the sticks in the process relegating the veteran goalkeeper to the bench.
Otieno’s first season with the Ndola based league giants ended disappointingly with ZESCO United finishing 5th on the league table and missing out on CAF inter-club football.
This was a big blow for the twenty-eight-year-old shot stopper who was eagerly eyeing his first league title and CAF football since trekking to Zambia.
Today Otieno has every reason to smile. The Kenyan international goalkeeper was one of the exceptional players who contributed immensely to ZESCO United’s 2020/21 league title triumph.
Not only was Otieno instrumental in winning the title but he was also voted the club’s Most Consistent Player at an Award Gala organized by ZESCO United’s shirt sponsor, Atlasmara Bank.
“It is a special moment for me, and I feel very happy. Like I said when we lost the Absa cup final, the league title is sweeter because It is recognized everywhere. It is special for me and for the rest of the team.
I am very happy because when I joined ZESCO United, there was only one objective and the objective was to win the league title. When you are a player, that’s what you dream of. Unfortunately, we lost the title and lost out on a place in CAF in very difficult circumstances,” he said.
ZESCO United were solid for most parts of the 2020/21 league campaign. This was evident when the side cantered away with ten consecutive league victories against some of the league’s finest teams.
Otieno believes, unity of purpose worked to the teams advantage: “The key factor was us believing that we can do it. When we started the league, everyone had their own doubts about this team.
Some people said we were not playing well. Sometime in football you can play bad and win and play very well and lose a match. What kept us going was the unity in the team and the belief that we could win the title.”
Otieno commanded his place between the sticks for most parts of the season. Unfortunately, a knee injury saw him out of the game for the rest of the 2020/21 league campaign.
“It was a very good season for me despite getting injured at the latter stage of the season. I think the coach and the team are best positioned to rate my performances. I did very well because of we have a very competitive goalkeeping department.
The coming of Toaster has been very good for me because he has brought massive competition, making me work harder. I am happy for him too because he has won a league title in his debut season with the team.”
Otieno like most ZESCO United players is already thinking about next league season and playing in CAF inter-club football.
“We need to keep working very hard because the task ahead is even bigger. It is important to have everyone on board as we start the new campaign.
Right now, I can say that the squad has very good depth. We have upcoming players who are working very hard for the team. We have qualified for CAF as such we need to work very hard and prepare adequately.”
The twenty-eight-year-old shot stopper believes ZESCO United head coach, Numba Mumamba will assemble a solid team for both the league and CAF interclub competitions.
“The coach has played and managed in this competition and I believe he knows what to do with the team. Through his guidance, I believe the team will be better than we are now.”
Author: Desmond Katongo
