Gor coach warns title race still open

Gor Mahia completed a double over their arch rivals AFC Leopards by edging them 1-0 in an evenly contested “Mashemeji” Derby on Sunday afternoon at the Moi International Sports Center in Kasarani.

K’Ogalo might have retained the bragging rights, but AFC Leopards went down fighting. The team has vastly improved under youthful coach Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani, a fact that Gor Mahia coach Steven Pollack admitted. Gor Mahia hammered Ingwe 4-1 in the first leg.

“It was tougher for us this time than it was in the first leg and it is evident they have improved. Credit goes to their coach, he is working hard to make the team better,” Pollack said after the match.

Prior to the derby, Kimani had said the two teams were at par technically, but Gor Mahia was only better “mentally”, an aspect he insisted is crucial in modern football.

And they matched Gor Mahia for the better part of the game save for their lack of sharpness upfront, with their lead striker Elvis Rupia missing a couple of seaters.

With the win, Gor Mahia are now seven points clear at the top of the table with just nine matches to go, but coach Steven Pollack says his lads should not rest on their laurels.

“We just won one game and I must admit it feels good to win the local derby twice, but the league title is not yet won, we have to regroup and work hard to win the remaining games,” he said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta also attended his first ever Kenyan Premier League (KPL) game that was attended by a sizeable crowd estimated to be around 20,000. His presence excited the fans and he promised to support local football. Signs of good things to come?

Timothy Otieno’s fine form

Tusker striker Timothy Otieno grabbed a brace as Tusker beat bottom-of-the table Chemelil Sugar 2-0 at the Ruaraka Stadium on Saturday.

This saw him bring his tally to 33 league goals for the club, surpassing Allan Wanga's 31 league goals for the Ruaraka-based team. Since 2008, only Jesse Were has scored more league goals for Tusker, 46. He is also the first player to score 15 league goals in a season for Tusker, since Jesse Were achieved the same feat in 2015.

His fine form has seen him included in the provisional Harambee Stars squad for the upcoming 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Comoros and it would be interesting to see if he makes the final squad now that Michael Olunga’s participation has been thrown into doubt.

Olunga is based in Corona virus-hit Japan and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa has recently hinted at the striker missing the two games.

Round 24 results

Western Stima 2-0 Posta Rangers

Bandari 1-0 Kariobangi Sharks

Mathare United 4-1 Kisumu All Stars

Wazito 0-0 Ulinzi Stars

Nzoia Sugar 0-0 KCB

Tusker 2-0 Chemelil Sugar

AFC Leopards 0-1 Gor Mahia