Victorious Strathmore issue warning

Strathmore University Gladiators team coach Meshack Senge has warned his title rivals not to expect any favours from the reigning Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) men’s Premier League champions.

Senge saw his side get their title defence underway with a 2-0 win over 2012 champions Sikh Union-Nairobi on Wednesday evening at the City Park Stadium.

“This result shows that we mean business and are ready to battle the other teams to keep the title. It is a long season, teams are fired up to take us on but we are up to the fight,” he added.

“If anyone though that last season was a fluke, they don’t know what these boys are capable of,” he added. The Gladiators upset the form book last year to dethrone Butali Sugar Warriors 3-0 on post-match penalties in the play-off final to hand them their third league title.
“I think it was a satisfactory performance from the lads, totally deserved but we should have won by a wider margin after creating numerous chances,” Senge told Nation Sport.

A brace from striker Festus Onyango gave the students a perfect start against a Sikh side that paid the price for woeful finishing.

Onyango, who was the club’s top scorer last season, struck in the 22nd and 35th minutes to hand the champions the three points.

Strathmore lost influential Constant Wakhura and Derrick Kuloba to Butali Sugar Warriors but still proved too much for Sikh to deal with in the thrilling mid-week contest.

Senge, who is also the national men’s team coach, handed starts to three new players among them forward Job Jerry Ogaso, who starred for St Anthony’s Boys Kitale during the 2015 East African Secondary School Games.

After soaking some early pressure from Sikh, the students went ahead with their first chance of the match when Onyango dived to score from Clayson Luvanda’s hard pass.