Bankers survive Sharks scare
By Charles.Thuku, January 16, 2023KCB FC joined Nzoia in a joint second-place position in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League chart after a merited 2-1 win over Kariobangi Sharks at Nyayo National Stadium yesterday.
The bankers opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Eric Adem’s penalty conversion before Ken Kyalo netted the winning goal in added time.
KCB coach Zedekiah Otieno was elated by the win, saying: ”I think we played well and we could have wrapped the game early enough were it not for missed chances. Picking maximum points against a strong team like Sharks is definitely a big boon for us,”
Elsewhere at Bukhungu Stadium, Bandari beat Vihiga Bullets 2-0 where Ugandan William Wadri scored the first goal in the 51st minute through an opportunistic strike.
At Kasarani Annex, a 10-man Bidco United defied all odds to edge Posta Rangers 2-1.
Bidco grabbed the lead through Eric Gichimu on the half-hour mark and added the second through Ezekiel Okare moments after Franklin “Collo”Oduor was sent off for a second bookable offence
Meanwhile, barely a week after falling 4-1 to Bidco, AFC Leopards continued disappointing their fans in a 2-1 defeat by Wazito at Muhoroni Stadium on Saturday in a result that left head coach Patrick Aussiems visibly disappointed.
Good account
“After the game against Bidco, it was important that we re-examine ourselves but unfortunately found ourselves still in the quagmire. I really cannot fault the players in terms of making sure we get ourselves out of this mess. The truth of the matter is that we don’t have the material to challenge for the title,” said Aussiems.
He added:” Unlike during the game against Bidco, I really think they gave a good account of themselves. They pushed hard and at times made life really difficult for their opponents but this is football and we hope to improve in future matches,’’
The Belgian tactician has in the recent past been brutally honest to say that the current crop of Ingwe players was too inexperienced to challenge for the top tier league honours.
Leopards have been banned from signing players for two transfer windows by Fifa after failing to settle Rwandan midfielder Vincent Habamahoro’s dues, totalling Sh1.8 million, as directed by the world football governing body.
In a related development, Tusker, just like AFC Leopards, were frustrated in a weekend which saw them drop more points in a barren draw with visiting Nzoia Sugar in Ruaraka on Saturday.
Tusker coach Robert Matano was not happy with the way his team carried itself in front of the home fans.
Before the loss to the Dockers followed by a draw against Nzoia, a win for Tusker seemed like a birthright but Matano has urged the players to treat each match seriously moving forward.
“We were initially very clinical in front of goal but the strikers somehow put their feet off the gas pedal. We need to improve on our finishing and defence. I must say it’s unfortunate that our opponents capitalised on our small mistakes to punish us,” said Matano.
However, Matano reckoned that the league is still in its infancy stages and as such, it would be inappropriate to judge Tusker on the mistakes made in two matches on a trot.
“We are not worried since this is part of football. The idea here is to try to learn from our mistakes in the remaining matches. As far as I’m concerned, Tusker is still very much in the title race,” said Matano.