Fearless Homeboyz venture into territory of the big boys

There was a time when late season games involved pulsating neck-to-neck encounters where AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia fought fiercely for the ultimate prize in the Premier League.

But the dynamic has gradually changed. Now, Kakamega Homeboyz are the ones representing Western Kenya in the title race as, by contrast, Ingwe struggle to make their way out of the  bottom half of the league table.

Mike Mururi’s Homeboyz are positioned second on the SportPesa Premier League table with 43 points, eight less than leaders Gor Mahia who have a game in hand.

With their nondescript squad and average tacticians, it is anyone’s guess how the Kakamega-based lads got themselves up there, but they have put together an unbeaten run spanning eight games, as well as a strong home record that shows only one loss in the 20 matches staged at their Mumias turf.

Their lead striker Wycliffe Ochomo has endured a terrible 2017 season so far, but Mururi and his technical bench immediately found replacements for him in Jeremiah Wanjala, and Mike Khaduli.

This, together with the determination that drives every underdog, has made the team grow into a fearsome force capable of upsetting even their more established opponents.

They stunned bigwigs Ulinzi Stars 1-0 on Sunday at Afraha as if to prove that their wins against Sofapaka and AFC Leopards earlier in the season were no fluke.

“We aren’t looking at the end of the season result. There are still some six games remaining, meaning that there is still considerable work to be done if we are to remaining in this position. For us now it is about every match. We focus on one match at a time,” Mururi said.

Leaders K’Ogalo recorded their 15th win of the season on Saturday against Bandari, and now require just seven points to safely wrap up this season’s major silverware.