SOLDIERS SHIFT FOCUS: Ulinzi Stars are ready to face Rangers in league tie
Football
By
Gilbert Wandera
| Aug 24, 2016
Ulinzi Stars coach Robert Matano is confident his team has picked valuable experience from the recently concluded regional military games in Rwanda. And he hopes they can use it to their advantage in the league.
The soldiers are back on the local scene today when they host Posta Rangers at Afraha Stadium.
Having been away for two weeks to take part in the regional military games, the soldiers have been pushed down to seventh spot on the log and have 32 points, which is 12 less than leaders Tusker.
Ulinzi won the regional title after a great performance and Matano believes this will count for something when they resume their domestic engagements.
“We got a lot of exposure and experience taking part in the tournament which was very competitive when you consider the kind of opponents we came up against. I am hoping my boys can use the lessons learnt to do well in the league,” he said.
Matano insists he is not thinking about who is ahead of him at this time and is just concentrating on his game.
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“We are not worried about anyone who is ahead of us or how they are doing at the moment. Our focus is to play our game and get positive results which we are capable of,” he added.
Ulinzi Stars captain James Saruni who was voted the best goalkeeper in the regional military games will come in handy for the soldiers today. Upfront, the soldiers have James Makwata, who is one of the leading scorers in the KPL.
Rangers go into this match inspired by a 1-0 win over Sofapaka last weekend. This was the first win for Rangers since the second leg started and coach Zedekiah Otieno has admitted that it did a lot to raise their morale.
“We have been looking for our first win in the second leg and it finally happened last weekend. We believe this will inspire us in our next match,” he revealed.
Rangers have influential forward Moses Otieno back in the team after recovering from injury and is likely to play a key role in ensuring they continue wining.
At Thika Stadium, hosts Thika United take on Bandari in another midweek fixture. For Thika United, the match provides yet another opportunity for them to move away from the relegation zone.