Sharks coach Muluya dreams of continental contest

Kariobangi Sharks Coach William Muluya against Asante Kotoko from Ghana during their CAF confederation qualifier match at Kasarani Stadium on Saturday 15/12/18 [Standard]

Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya is dreaming of rewriting their own history with a back-to-back Sportpesa Shield victory.

The domestic cup champions laboured to beat KCB 1-0 in Sunday's thrilling semifinal in Machakos courtesy of their former player Bolton Omwenga's second half own goal.

The victory secured Sharks' third consecutive final ticket and set up an explosive final with their newly-found rivals Bandari on June 1 at Kasarani Stadium.

Bandari, who last won the Shield in 2015, rampaged their way into the final with a 6-1 win over lower tier side SS Assad.

This will be a repeat of the 2019 SportPesa Cup final in Dar es Salaam where Sharks prevailed by a solitary goal to book a friendly date with English Premier League side Everton on July 7 at Kasarani.

But having failed to replicate their Cup form in the local league where they have only won once in their last 12 matches (six draws and five losses), Muluya believes next month's final presents a chance of returning to continental competition.

"We've really had a rough run in the league, but at least we have something to show for it as the season ends. It's not over yet; we just need to be careful enough as we approach the final," Muluya told Standard Sports.

"We will try and see if can go back to the continental competition, that's the only short cut to it."

"I think this is another opportunity for us to rewrite our history by winning the title back-to-back. We deserve it because we have really worked hard to be where we are now."

After losing their two league matches by an identical 1-0 scoreline to the dockers, Muluya knows their journey back to Confederation Cup will not be a walk in the park.

"Sure it's going to be very tough against Bandari. This will be the second final we are playing them in less than five months. They have really dominated against us in the league, winning both legs. But I think a final is a different ball game altogether. Here, you make one mistake and you are punished for it," said the former Mathare United team manager.

"But when is careful from the beginning, then I'm sure we are going to carry the day." 

"We are just 90 minutes away from achieving that feat. Basically what we need is a lot of cautiousness, patience, maturity and of course, make less mistakes."

But even as he is plotting for Bandari's downfall and pocket Sh2 millon in prize money, Muluya is concerned with his blunt attack.

"Basically, it's all about sharpening my attackers and that's something we are going to work on. We are creating a lot of chances but fail to convert them. In football, for every goal you score, you must defend very well and maybe add another one to be sure of victory," he said.

Last season, Sharks were eliminated in the first round of their Confederation Cup debut. They lost 2-1 on aggregate to Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko.