Sunshine Stars FC coach Deji Ayeni has set his sights on leading the Akure Gunners to a top finish in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Ayeni, who piloted Sunshine Stars to safety last season after taking charge when they were second from bottom, has been outstanding with the team this season and hopes to do more to achieve his aim with the club.
The full interview:
Coach Ayeni what are your qualifications as a coach?
I have Basic and Advance coaching certificate for National Institute of Sports (NIS), Lagos. I have a Diploma in physiotherapy also from NIS. I have CAF C Licence, CAF B Licence and FCAAN diploma certificate.
Where have you worked before you took over Sunshine Stars?
I was the Assistant coach at Osun United from 2014 to 2016, I was the Head Coach of Cynosure FC from 2017 to 2019, I was in charge of Ekiti United from 2019 to 2021, when I joined Sunshine Stars as the chief coach.
Where were Sunshine Stars when you joined them last season?
The team was second to the last on the league table (19th) when I took over but by d grace of God, we escaped relation by finishing 15th position on the league. I also led the team to the semi finals of the National Federations cup.
That’s was a great feat, how did you manage to do that?
Well it was hard work and grace of God. I did all O need to do on the team and God crowned the effort.
What have you done so far this season?
We are trying to do better than what happens last season, we have played seven matches so far, we have gone six games unbeaten. We have scored seven goals and concede just two goals. We are currently ninth in the league. We hope to get better.
What are your set targets with the club this season?
I am looking forward to lead the team to top four and qualify for continental competition.
What was your playing career like?
I played football. I played for the following clubs Kwara United, Niger Tornadoes, NEPA FC, Insurance FC, Concord FC, Prime FC, Crown FC and Kogi United, before I traveled to Bahrain, where I played for Al Riffa.
