Tusker inch closer to KPL crown

Ten- time champions Tusker are close to bagging their first league title in four years after bagging maximum points at the Mbaraki Sports Club in Mombasa at the weekend.

Ghanaian striker Stephen Owusu whom Tusker coach Paul Nkata has deployed as a support striker was the toast of the afternoon for the brewers in the scorching Mombasa heat with a beautiful searing header to condemn Bandari to their ninth defeat of the season, while stretching Tusker’s points tally to 51 at the summit of the Kenyan Premier League table.

The brewers have now opened up a healthy seven-point advantage over them and the flip- flopping second placed and defending champions Gor Mahia, who lost 1-0 to Muhoroni Youth in the Top 8 final on Sunday.

With Tusker in the driving seat, Gor face a Herculean task of trimming the seven- point gap.

While Gor ponders on how to cut the margin, Nkata’s charges will be setting their eyes on winning two of their four matches left and aim to force a draw with Gor Mahia on the final day of action to uncork the champagne.

A league title will be a vote of confidence in coach Nkata who docked at Ruaraka at the beginning of this term after impressing with Muhoroni Youth last season.

However, as they inch closer, winger Danson Kago has warned against complacency.

“The title is not yet won and we have to go by each game. We have to focus and treat every match as a final. I know we have opened up some gap at the top which is an added advantage and we must defend it,” Kago said.

Tusker take on Nairobi City Stars on Sunday at the Afraha Stadium as the title run- in hots up.

Gor, whose title hopes now hangs by the thread, will hope that they can quickly rebuild after the Sunday meltdown when they take on Western Stima on Wednesday in a mid-week fixture.

Stima has risen to position four on the log on 40 points and should Gor fail to get maximum points from them, it could be a fatal blow to their title dreams.

Meanwhile, with four matches left and still rock bottom, Sofapaka could be counting days to the end of their eight- year association with the top-tier league which they joined in 2009 winning the gong in a debut season.