KPL: Gor Mahia drop points as Ulinzi's Ocholla sees red at City Stadium

Ulinzi Stars midfielder Eric Apul and Gor Mahia midfielder Geoffrey Kizito during their KPL match at City Stadium on 17-09-2014.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Gor Mahia dropped another two crucial points after being held to a barren draw by a 10-man Ulinzi Stars at City Stadium on Wednesday but still went top of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) log.

Ulinzi Stars captain Stephen Ocholla was given his matching orders after picking two yellows, but K'Ogalo failed to utilise their numerical advantage to secure all the three points.

The first half of the match was mostly uneventful with none of the teams coming closer to breaking the deadlock. Ulinzi Stars had the first shot on goal in the 16th minute but Steven Waruru's effort did not seem to bother Jerim Onyango in between the Gor Mahia's posts.

Gor Mahia had the best chance to score when Timothy Otieno was denied by James Saruni in goal from a one-one situation in the 37th minute. The game came alive in the second half as both teams pushed forward in search of a goal.

In a high-tempered second half, Ulinzi Stars captain Stephen Ocholla was sent off for a second bookable offence. However, the player had to be pulled off the pitch by Ulinzi Stars' technical bench as he protested his send-off even as a section of Gor Mahia fans threw missiles onto the pitch.

Apart from the incident, there was slightly more action in the second half compared to the first half with the KPL champions having more chances in front of their opponent's goal.

New coach Frank Nuttall rested Daniel Onyango for Patrick Oboya in a move that ensured more balls got to the front men.

Five minutes after coming on, Patrick Oboya beat his marker but was hacked just outside the Ulinzi box. Godfrey Kizito took the resultant free kick going for goal with a powerful shot but the effort was headed out for the first corner of the second half.

Then at the one-hour mark, Oboya found himself at the end of a Dan Sserunkuma pass but he slid and the final shot lacked power to beat James Saruni in goal.

The soldiers then rested their top scorer Steven Waruru for John Nairuka as they sought more punch upfront.

Ulinzi coach Robert Matano protested the send-off and accused the centre referee Amos Ichingwa of making unnecessary calls aimed at frustrating his team.

"Some of the calls made by Ichingwa were not necessary. They only brought a lot of tension to the game and were aimed at frustrating us. The red card on Ocholla should not have been as the player kicked the ball convinced that the whistle may have been blown by one of the fans," he said.

Nuttall said his players should have taken advantage of their numerical strength to win the match.

"We did not take advantage of the situation. We must learn to be more lethal upfront," he said.