Defender Wadada eyeing his second Afcon qualification

Kampala. Denis Iguma was suspended for this one and Nicholas Wadada had been on the national team fringes for some time.
Rather than employ a stop-gap experienced player at right back in Uganda’s most important match yet, former Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic decided to trust the then Vipers player again.
Uganda needed to beat Comoros and not care about results elsewhere to break a 40-year wait for an appearance at the Nations Cup finals.
The Cranes also needed some assurance that all departments would function that day, with special watch on forwards and Wadada’s right back position.
Faruku Miya delivered the goods the other end, his lone goal securing a 1-0 victory late 2016 and Uganda a slot in the finals.
But there was no missing the activity on the right flank, Wadada playing a game of his life with assured defending and tenacious thrust forward.
“Iguma had a yellow card I think that time,” Wadada explained to Daily Monitor.

The Cranes face visiting Cape Verde on Saturday at Namboole aware that they need only one point to qualify for Cameroon 2019 finals due next June.
“I had been out of the team for some time, only appearing on the bench. Iguma was playing well so I hang in there waiting for my chance.”
Iguma is more versatile of the two as he can play across the back four and in midfield.
“And when the chance came,” added Wadada, “I gave my best and yes, I really played a great game. I could feel it then and I know it today.”
Wadada, now an almost assured starter, went on to play at his first Nations Cup finals in Gabon last year and he has no doubt Cameroon will be his second.
“Definitely,” said the Azam FC player, who has played every game of the Tanzanian club’s schedule to break off for international duty topping the league back in Dar es Salaam. Wadada, in his mid 20s, added: “We are at home and we have a team that has been together for about five years now. We know each other.
“On the other hand, Cape Verde has very good players with most based in Portugal but they don’t play together often as we do.”
Poor form had, prior the Comoros game, kept Wadada on the fringes at a time the country was still fighting with the puzzle of who would ever fill the void left by loyal servant Simeon Masaba, who had quietly been fizzled out as his evening took its toll on him.
“Masaba helped me a lot. He would encourage me not to listen to negative talk and just concentrate on doing my job on the pitch.”
The former Vipers player will again be doing his job on the pitch this Saturday when the nation braces once again to make history by qualifying for the finals with one match to spare.