Kariobangi Sharks plan to carry Cup form to local league for maiden title
By Charles Thuku, August 29, 2019Kariobangi Sharks will be buoyed by their giant-killing antics when they open their Kenyan Premier League (KPL) campaign against Western Stima on Saturday in Machakos.
The team’s coach William Muluya said the 4-3 win over English Premier League side Everton on July 7 in Nairobi coupled with a 1-1 draw with the more experienced Young African (Yanga) of Tanzania recently in Dar-es-Salaam gave his players lot of confidence going into the new season.
“Most of the players were new in such high-profile matches and they performed above expectations. At this rate, I expect them to keep the candle aglow,” said Muluya.
The tactician reckoned that in as much as his charges are improving by the day, they have to treat the league’s opening match against Stima with the seriousness it deserves. “If we make a perfect start, obviously it will be a boon for the players but remember, Stima will also be gunning for maximum points and we have to fight really hard to beat them,” he said.
Team captain Eric Juma echoed Muluya’s sentiments that the build-up matches were vital in the team’s preparations for the league and especially their latest sojourn in Tanzania.
“The competitiveness in the squad is the most striking positive I noted during the five days stay in Tanzania. We picked up lots of lessons from the match we played in Tanzania. It has been a good outing and I am very happy with the boys,” Juma said.
He added: “What stood out for me was that everyone proved that they are ready to step up when called upon by the coach. You could see in the Yanga game, we were missing four players who were on international duty but the boys still competed very well against a soccer powerhouse in the region under an electric atmosphere.”
Sharks have not made major signings this season with their most notable new players including Tanzanian defender Peter Amani who was sourced from Mount Kenya Unite, Daniel Sakari Macheso from Kakamega Homeboyz and Peter Otieno from Nzoia Sugar.