BY GILBERT WANDERA

The 2013 season has not turned out the way Mathare United and Homeboyz would have wanted it to be.

Last season, United, who won the league in 2008, finished among the top eight despite a bad start.

It was therefore expected that the team would start off from where they left, but it was never to be after they lost a record 22 players forcing coach Stanley Okumbi to begin the process of rebuilding a new squad.

Newcomers, Homeboyz, on the other hand, were confident of continuing their impressive performance, which saw them win their Division One zone to earn promotion last season.

Ten matches into the season, the two clubs are struggling as they meet in today’s Kenyan Premier League (KPL) match at City Stadium. Both coaches are desperate to win.

“Losing 22 players is not the easiest of things to recover from. It will certainly take time but we are determined to win against Homeboyz,” said United coach Okumbi.

Okumbi said his side are struggling due to inexperience which is affecting the team’s ability to score.

“We have been dominating in many matches, but we have failed to score. This all about inexperience,” he added.

Homeboyz coach Fred Serenge said he views the match as an opportunity fto solidify their place in the top league.

“We are in the same boat as United and we look at the match as a battle against relegation.  This is the opportunity for us to start winning,” he said.

The fact that they have not lost in the last three matches is a motivation for his players, especially looking at the kind of opposition they have had.

“We have played three big matches and have not lost. It is a big motivation for us ahead of the United fixture,” he pointed out.

But Serenge is worried about the absence of some of his key players like Dennis Mukhaisi and Francis Chinjili, both of whom are injured and are out of the fixture.

He still has Paul Odhiambo, another experienced striker who has been a big motivation upfront.

Sofapaka will go top of the standings if they overcome KCB today in the first match to be played at City Stadium.
The 2009 KPL champions look like the team that claimed the title, but they need to learn to score goals.

The bankers are also contenders for the top, meaning that they will be at their best.  This is KCB’s first match in Nairobi after more than one month.