Winning Shield title within reach for Leopards

What you need to know:

  • We thank the rescue team and the team’s top management for motivating and recruiting good players including international David Ochieng ‘Cheche’ who has boosted option in our defence.
  • Since they were appointed to run the club on interim basis, Maurice Amahwa’s team has managed to stick together with the players who had lost hope.
  • We thank God the team has started managing to turn things around. The claws are coming back!

Our chances of winning this year’s SportPesa Premier League are now as remote as Gor Mahia winning the Confederation Cup title.

So, just like Leopards are clever predators, we need to target winning the SportPesa Shield which is well within our capabilities.

We can realistically make the a top-five finish in the league, but the Shield is what we should now go for as it is more important for us since it guarantees Ingwe a ticket to continental football. That is our level.

Congratulations to the players who gave a good account of themselves at the weekend, beating Kitale-based Transfoc 4-0 in Kakamega to qualify for the quarter-finals of the knock-out domestic cup that we last won in 2017.

We also thank our fans who thronged Bukhungu Stadium on Saturday to cheer the boys to victory, Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary General Francis Atwoli, Kakamega’s Gender and Special Programs adviser to the Governor Penina Mukavane who motivated the team ahead of the match.

Our team has been surrounded by plenty of problems this season, but the ‘AFC Leopards Rescue Team’ seems to be doing something in terms of preparations, and the players must respond in kind.

I want to dismiss suggestions that Ingwe had an easy draw in the round of 32, because we saw the so called small teams causing upsets. Ask Ulinzi Stars who lost to some tiny team called SS Assad something or Sofapaka who were bundled out by an unknown outfit from Bungoma, aptly calling themselves Super Stars. A knock-out match can end either way.

As we expect to maintain our winning form in our next match, our players need to take all matches seriously to put a smiling face on Ingwe supporters who have become restless as they continue to wait for the league title that the club last won in 1998.

Andre Casa Mbungo and the players, kindly play for the six million suffering supporters who still trust in you!

We have played teams we should have definitely beaten in our recent matches, including Mathare United and Ulinzi Stars who scored late to win.

We welcome news that Mbungo has been joined by former international defender, Anthony Kimani as his deputy coach. Kimani’s record with the team, love and passion for the club is unquestionable hence the right man for the job.

Kimani who diligently served as the team captain understands the club’s culture and history. When the new coach took over from Serbian Marko Vasiljevic, it took a while to settle because the players used to play a different style.

This season has obviously been a difficult one for the club, but we have started making some good signings and it is showing.

We thank the rescue team and the team’s top management for motivating and recruiting good players including international David Ochieng ‘Cheche’ who has boosted option in our defence.

Since they were appointed to run the club on interim basis, Maurice Amahwa’s team has managed to stick together with the players who had lost hope.

We thank God the team has started managing to turn things around. The claws are coming back!