Malaba Giants, Opet share spoils in local derby
By Fredrick Likuyani, June 28, 2022
Western Region League leaders Opet FC and runners-up Malaba Giants settled for a goalless draw in a local derby played at Malaba Stadium on Sunday.
The clash, which ended the first leg of the season, was a seesaw encounter for the two Busia clubs that are battling to secure a place in the Division Two League next season.
With the league taking a break, Opet has a commanding lead with 30 points from 13 matches with the Giants trailing them in second place with 26 points from the same number of matches.
Giants needed to win the local derby to narrow their rival’s lead but good goalkeeping by Erick Okodoi frustrated the efforts of the Giants who came close to finding the back of the net but luck was not on their side.
In a bid to ensure fair play, the FKF Busia Branch seconded referees from Bungoma County where Premier League Centre Referee, Winnie Were was given a pivotal role to handle the match with her counterpart Jacqueline Baronko and David Barasa as assistant referees.
The crowd that turned up for the epic clash thanked Hillary Musundi’s led team for outsourcing referees which ended without a hitch sending a passionate plea for it to retain the status quo in key matches to avoid post-match disputes.
Giants patron Abraham Omanyo said the high standard of officiation, more so by the centre referee, Winnie Were made hundreds of fans who attended the match return home happy with the draw the team recorded.