Noisy fans silenced and return with coiled tails

By Tony Owori

Perhaps Top Fry versus Gor Mahia Kenyan Premier League match yesterday at Afraha stadium in Nakuru was the biggest match to have been staged at the venue since season the 2014 kicked off in mid-February.

Big in the sense of crowd, colour and win for Nakuru-based minnows in a tie that came with a lot of surprises as the reigning Kenya Premier League champions Gor Mahia went down 2-0 to bottom side Top Fry Nakuru All Stars.

Talk of vibrant and noisy fans in Kenyan football, Gor fans are the perfect example one would refer to within Kenyan boarders, but that side of Gor fans could only be seen before the defeat.

Fans travelled in their droves with many of them coming from Nairobi by private cars and hired buses which made Nakuru-Nairobi highway busy for the better part of the day, complete with blaring sirens and ear-splitting vuvuzelas.

Afraha stadium was literally awash with white and green colours which belonged to only one fan base   — Gor Mahia.

It was expected to be a one-sided match with some fans referring to that encounter as an easy match. Songs and dances filled the air as the loud Gor Mahia fans showed the few Nakuru Top Fry fans how to support a team.

Half an hour into the match, some fans were still outside the venue trying to figure out how they could get inside the stadium though some of them wanted free entry.

Dirty tricks

Getting impatient, the fans tried to force their way inside, but their dirty tricks were contained by the many security officers who were manning the gates.

Just three minutes to end of the first 45 minutes, the presence of the few Top Fry fans was felt as they emerged the loudest after their team scored the opening goal.

Many Gor fans complained about the poor showing from their team as the second half was not any different with a lackluster performance from Gor which annoyed their fans.

Around the stadium, which was well occupied by the green army, was rather quite as the few Top Fry fans ruled the air from one corner of the stadium.

K’Ogalo fans thought the underdogs were done with them and their team would push for an equaliser and probably the winning goal but that was not the case.

The final nail on Gor’s coffin came and a drop of a pin could be heard at areas occupied by Gor fans as the scoreboard read 2-0 for Nakuru Top Fry.

The noisy fans were humbled and in disbelief, they walked out quietly as the matched entered the last five minutes. Talk of David and Goliath battle, perhaps Gor Mahia fans now know the meaning of that analogy.