Mathare United stretches lead with victory over Dimba Patriots
After a long holiday break, the National Super League resumed with a couple of interesting results witnessed at the weekend as title contenders Mathare United and Kisumu All Stars registered mixed results with leaders Naivas FC maintaining the top spot despite having rested with a match in hand.
The slum boys under Leonard Odipo are joint top with 33 points but on a lower goal difference of -9 as they silenced 11th placed Dimba Patriots FC 3-1 away. This was Mathare’s 10th win in 15 matches and had a 1-0 lead in the first half courtesy of Parmenas Ochola’s 10th minute strike. In the second half, the slum boys piled the pressure as they forced their opponents to commit mistakes. Steve Kimari and Meshack Otieno added two more goals against the run of play in the 53rd and 84th minute respectively to ensure they were home and dry with the consolation goal of Dimba being netted in the 80th minute of play.
In another exciting result, Darajani Gogo FC in seventh place were 3-0 winners away at bottom-placed Silibwet Leons FC in a match played at Bomet Stadium Sunday. The huge victory pushed Gogo Boys to 24 points with three wins in their past five games played. As for relegation threatened Leons, their 12 points aggregate in 15 matches with only three wins thus far this season and a poor -18 goal difference. Silibwet has lost four of their past five matches and have conceded a staggering 29 goals.
League newcomers Rainbow FC and Nairobi United FC both came through with solid results. Rainbow stunned fifth placed Kisumu All-Stars 2-0 at Moi Stadium at the Lakeside team’s base.Ali Salim and Mustapha Dulmant score goals for the visitors in the 58th minute and 86th minute respectively to push Otenga down to fifth placed in 27 points as Charles Bruno’s side not only suffered a fourth loss in the campaign but a jolt in their promotion prospects. Rainbow are currently in 10th place with 18 points after posting their second consecutive win in as many matches.
As for Nairobi United, they had a great outing following their 2-0 win over lowly placed Mully Children’s Family FC. United in an impressive fourth place have 29 points in 15 matches with all but one victories in their past five games played. MCF in 15th place have had a difficult campaign thus far with only a win in a third of 15 matches played and a paltry 15 points in the bag over the same period.
In other results of the weekend; Gusii FC and SS Assad played out to a wild nine goal thriller at Mosocho Grounds in Kisii County with the result ending 5-4 in favor of the hosts. The result however does not change much due to implications of goal difference as Gusii retain 16th place with 15 points while SS Assad are in 12th place with 17 points. Elsewhere, Migori Youth beat Mombasa Stars FC 1-0 with a 72nd minute goal by Clinton Onyango to push the border boys to sixth place in the log with 25 points.
