Big fight against relegation
What you need to know:
- Mathare United and Thika United recorded rare victories in SportPesa Premier League matches at the weekend to ensure their push to stay in Kenya’s top-flight football league stays alive till end of the season.
- Mathare’s 1-0 win over Nzoia Sugar and Thika’s 1-0 win over deposed champions Tusker helped the duo gain significant ground in the relegation fight ahead of their last two league matches.
- The pair’s success also diminished Muhoroni Youth’s chances of survival, almost certainly condemning coach Moses Adagala’s boys to relegation after five years of top-flight domestic football action.
Mathare United and Thika United recorded rare victories in SportPesa Premier League matches at the weekend to ensure their push to stay in Kenya’s top-flight football league stays alive till end of the season.
Mathare’s 1-0 win over Nzoia Sugar and Thika’s 1-0 win over deposed champions Tusker helped the duo gain significant ground in the relegation fight ahead of their last two league matches.
The pair’s success also diminished Muhoroni Youth’s chances of survival, almost certainly condemning coach Moses Adagala’s boys to relegation after five years of top-flight domestic football action.
AFC Leopards supporters also heaved a sigh of relief at the weekend as they forged a way past Nakumatt at Kasarani to secure premier league survival after weeks of anxiety.
Ingwe were in the mini-league of seven teams hoping to survive the drop, and a loss for them would have increased their susceptibility to relegation as it would have seen them drop to 14th on the 18-team league.
The big cats can now challenge for a top ten position provided they win their remaining games against Muhoroni Youth and Chemelil Sugar.
Coach Robert Matano, who has decried the team’s inconsistency and the wastefulness of his players in front of goal, appeared deeply relived and declared his intention to win the two remaining games and finish in the best possible position.
“From the beginning of the match to the very end the boys displayed hunger for success and created so many chances. Focus now shifts to the two remaining matches. I want to win both of them so that we can finish in a good position in the league,” Mataho said on Sunday.
Western Stima, who are second last on the log with every chance of going down, managed to squeeze a point from 2010 champions Ulinzi Stars in Kisumu, thanks of goals from Ezekiel Otuoma and Robert Achema.
The point gained however did nothing to change Stima’s bleak outlook s they still have games to come against Chemelil Sugar and Posta Rangers.
Meanwhile, Kariobangi Sharks player Masoud Juma’s outstanding run of form continued at the weekend, and his four goals against Muhorioni Youth saw him rise to the top of the scorers’ charts with 15 goals, three more than his challengers Jacques Tuyisenge and Kepha Aswani.
