Top position in KPL belongs to us

What you need to know:

  • There was hue and cry when the dockers went on a dry patch losing some matches notably against Ulinzi Stars and Sony Sugar away, drawing with Chemilil away before being defeated by Homeboyz at home.

Bandari Football Club is back and very much ready to reclaim what they believe is theirs: the number one spot in the SportPesa Premier League.

I said here just a few weeks ago that a dip in form is a normal occurrence in football, more so in an 18-team league competition.

There was hue and cry when the dockers went on a dry patch losing some matches notably against Ulinzi Stars and Sony Sugar away, drawing with Chemilil away before being defeated by Homeboyz at home.

What many did not understand was that the dockers were plagued with injuries to some of their key players and were quick to point an accusing finger at the technical bench and the playing unit.

The accusers failed to understand that Bandari does not enjoy the luxury of a big squad like some of their league rivals.

DEVELOPING YOUNG TALENT
Besides, Bandari is one of the few clubs in the Kenyan league that have focused more on developing young talent with players like Hassan Idd, Hassan Abdalla, Siraj Mohamed, Willy Lugogo, Moses Mudavadi and Brain Otieno.

It is for this reason that the injuries really took a huge toll on the squad making it overly stretched coupled by congested fixtures as a result of the SportPesa Cup in Tanzania.

It is of uttermost importance too that fans understand that the injuries affected some of the key players namely lead striker Wycliffe Ochomo, Willy Lugogo, Nkata junior among others.

I am glad to report that in recent weeks things have been looking up for the dockers. Three wins back-to-back against Mount Kenya, Sharks and Gor Mahia in the Shield is a testament that the dip in form was occasioned by the untimely injuries and is on its way out.

For those of you that aren’t aware, Leicester City were promoted to the Premier League from the Championship for the 2014-15 season.

What is however less known about Leicester City’s success are two other factors that are imperative to a team excelling.

Firstly, they had the lowest injury toll all season, with only 18 injuries sustained that prevented a player from taking to the pitch.

USE OF PLAYERS

Manchester City on the other hand had 69 injuries and as a result of this were able to use the least amount of players of all the clubs in the Premier League.

For Leicester, the low injury list meant that the coach was able to regularly pick the best starting 11 players week-in week-out for the 38-game season.

Thus fans need to understand that high injury levels are normal in any football team, and that should not warrant attacks on the technical bench or playing unit and Bandari is not an exception.

As I speak to you now, talisman Ochomo is fully back and was expected to be paraded against Western Stima in a SportPesa Premier League match at Kericho Green Stadium on Sunday.

Nkata returned a week ago and was instrumental in the demolition of Kariobangi Sharks and Gor Mahia last week while midfield maestro Lugogo is back training and should be unleashed anytime.

Teams hoping to deny Bandari this year’s league title should better prepare for the worst. Our hunt for glory continues.