Matano quells title talk at Tusker
What you need to know:
- The brewers' lone goal was scored by Timothy Otieno who is in contention for the Golden Boot this season
- Tusker are now on 41 points, three behind leaders Gor Mahia but Matano insists the title race is still open
- Record champions Gor have promised to bounce back following their 3-1 loss to Sofapaka as they aim for a fourth consecutive KPL title
Tusker coach Robert ‘The Lion’ Matano believes it's too early to talk about his team’s chances of winning Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title this season.
Despite a hard-fought 1-0 win over AFC Leopards on Sunday that saw Tusker cut Gor Mahia's lead at the top of table to only three points, the veteran tactician has called for focus and consistency.
The brewers' lone goal was scored by Timothy Otieno who is in contention for the Golden Boot this season. Otieno has 11 goals, two shy of former AFC Leopards striker John Makwata (13) who has since joined Zambian giants Zesco United.
“I am not interested in talking about our chances of wining the league just because Gor Mahia lost to Sofapaka. I can only do that when we have three or four matches to the end of the season,” said Matano.
Tusker are now on 41 points, three behind leaders Gor Mahia but Matano insists the title race is still open.
“I want to tell my players to avoid paying attention to talks propagated by some football pundits that we are the only team that can challenge Gor Mahia for the title. That is a lie, all top five teams have an equal chance of winning the league,” added Matano.
Record champions Gor have promised to bounce back following their 3-1 loss to Sofapaka as they aim for a fourth consecutive KPL title. Sofapaka’s goals were scored by Elli Asieche, Nigerian striker Promise Chinonso and Sebastine Ikhekai with Samuel Onyango netting Gor's consolation.
Gor coach Steven Polack said it was his worst defeat since taking over at K’Ogalo last year.
“We lost unfairly but as a coach I don’t like commenting and blaming officials. I can’t also blame my defenders and the goalkeeper because we play as a team but let it be clear to our opponents that we won’t relent until we win the league,” said Polack.
Third-placed Kakamega Homeboyz also missed a chance to close in on Gor after drawing 1-1 with Bandari at Mbaraki stadium in Mombasa.
Elsewhere, Chemelil Sugar - bankrolled by Muhoroni Youth chairman Moses Adagala - continued their renaissance with a laboured 2-1 win over Posta Rangers to leapfrog Kisumu All Stars and come out of the bottom of the table.
The Millers have now amassed nine points, one above bottom-placed Kisumu All Stars who were inactive at the weekend.
