Elite Two: Newly appointed Bafmeng Utd trainer unveils lofty ambition for club.

According to the newly appointed trainer, he and his entourage have plans and are working endlessly to ensure the newly promoted team avoids relegation this season.

He has also commented on the club’s possibility of gaining promotion to the topflight. 

The tactician made his intentions known in an exclusive interview with The Guardian Post Sports Friday.

Speaking to The Guardian Post Sports on Friday, Nkabyo said the second tier is an-all-knew and very challenging ground for Bafmeng United.

The trainer rated the 15 other teams in the championship as tough and very experienced opponents capable of upsetting teams with lesser experience. 

“This is a team that just got into the Elite Two. We are taking our first steps into the competition. And all the other teams in competition besides ISOHSA have either been in the Elite Two for some time or they just relegated from the Elite One,” Nkabyo who led Bafmeng to a goalless draw against Yaounde II FC in the team’s maiden Elite championship appearance, said.

Despite these stakes which in most cases leave Bafmeng at the edge as one of only two newcomers this season, Nkabyo says he and the club’s management are fully aware of the challenges and the task on hand.

He said the team is working hard to address the limitations to give the club a memorable debut campaign while laying a solid foundation for the future. 

“The Elite Two is a very difficult competition. There are 16 very good teams in the league. So, we will take it one match at a time. In the end, we will see what is going to happen. Right now, the objective is simple, we want to make sure we can play very good games against very good teams that have already been at the Elite level for some time or are coming from the Elite One,” the trainer said.

These positive results-oriented adjustments in the team, he said, will be geared towards ensuring the team escapes the brutal relegation wind faced by newcomers in the Elite championship. 

And also, if possible, to guide the team through its secondary ambition of targeting Elite One promotion at the end of the season if possible

“Bafmeng is a new side. The first goal is to get the team competitive and try to pick up results. The main objective is to keep the team in the Elite Two,” the trainer stated. 

“It is not going to be easy but we will try to pick up positive results. We are hoping that by the middle of the position, we will look at our position and then we will see if we are struggling to stay and if we can fight for a place in the Elite One,” he concluded.

Martin Nkabyo: Bafmeng United head coach

Blending youth with experience to attain set goals

The task of maintaining Elite status is always a challenging one. 

But for the likes of Victoria United which qualified for the Elite One at the end of the 2022/2023 campaign after just a season in the second tier, it is always even more difficult for clubs to secure topflight promotion in their debut campaigns. 

Bafmeng United’s Nkabyo is conscious of the uphill nature of both quests to maintain Elite Two status or push for promotion and is confident the team has the right plans to get the job fully done in its quest to either stay afloat in the second tier at the or perhaps; if given the chance, go for the topflight. 

This self-believe and plan, the trainer says, is fueled by the club’s focus on being cautious with resource resources and other managerial moves which include the quality of players acquired through transfer and work on expertly blending both the old and the new in the playing squad. 

“It is true we have some players coming from the Elite One. But I think that doesn’t make any clear difference. It’s a competition that we have in front of us. We are playing against very experienced teams. So, Bafmeng having players from the topflight doesn’t make any clear difference,” the trainer said.

“We have a young team for the most part. We are trying to make a blend with some players because we need experienced players. The objective is to get the team to progress physically, technically and tactically to ensure the team is able to play good games and get the results,” the trainer concluded. 

Martin Nkabyo was appointed as the head coach of Bafmeng United last week to replace coach Soh Simplis who helped the club to qualify for the Elite Two earlier this year before joining Elite Two team Panthere of Nde last month.

Martin Nkabyo has a vast coaching experience in Cameroonian club football the training having taken charge of several elite clubs.

He served as the head coach of Elite One team Yong Sports Academy of Bamenda between 2019 and 2021. 

The trainer was also the head coach of 2020 Elite One champions, PWD Social Football Club of Bamenda at the start of the 2022/2023 season.

Before the recent top jobs at the two biggest clubs from the North West Region, Nkabyo had marked a place for himself as a fine brand in coaching in the elite championship.

The trainer took charge of several teams in the South West Region including 2009 Elite One championship winners, Tiko United from the Fako Division.

Ambitious new boys in town 

Bafmeng United SA which is powered by the highly trusted Cameroonian insurance company, Zenithe Insurance was promoted to the Elite Two at the end of the 2022/2023 football season. 

This was after the team sailed through as the champions of the North West Regional League for the 2022/2023 season and secured one of the two Elite Two tickets at the end of the National Interpools in Yaoundé.

The club competes in Group A of the second tier this season alongside Renaissance of Ngoumou, Yaoundé II Football Club, Aigle of the Moungo, Racing of Bafoussam and Unisport of Bafang.

The team will also face fallen Cameroonian football giants, Tonnerre of Yaounde and North West regional sister team, Foncha Street FC of Bamenda in the same pool.

The team missed out on its first game of the season against regional sisters, Foncha Street FC Bamenda last weekend due to administrative hitches. 

The club finally made its debut in the second tier last Wednesday in a goalless draw with Yaounde II FC, Yafoot. 

Despite the not-all-juicy start, the club is aiming to make remarkable strides in the league this season. 

This is believed to be an achievable feat for the club due to the robustness the team from the Menchum Division of the North Region boasts of in terms of human resources and finances.