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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Nairobian

Will the rise of Tusker and Homeboyz tremble might Gor Mahia?

Football

By Washington Onyango | Jan 14, 2020

**Gor Mahia defender Joash Onyango (right) tussles for the ball with Tusker's George Odhiambo "Blackberry" during a Kenya Premier League match played at Moi Stadium in Kisumu**.[Washington Onyango/Standard]

Tusker will remain atop the Kenya Premier League (KPL) table for the second week running after extending their unbeaten run to 11 matches with their comeback victory against Bandari over the weekend.

The victory saw the 2016 champions bag their third consecutive win to remain top with 37 points, one more than second-placed Kakamega Homeboyz, who condemned defending champions Gor Mahia to their second defeat of the campaign.

Robert Matano still believes there is much work to be done considering they are only five points ahead of league favourites Gor Mahia, who have a healthy three games in hand.

Matano said their objective is to continue winning matches and prevent losing points in the wake of crunch ties lying ahead.

“We know Gor have the advantage because of the game in hand but that has nothing to do with us for our goal is to keep winning matches. For now, we are not concerned but happy with the performances and results we are getting,” he said.

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His Kakamega Homeboyz counterpart Nicholas Muyoti also brushed away the title credentials tag terming it too early.

“Beating Gor Mahia does not mean we are going to win the title but it is a morale booster for the players ahead of crunch ties against difficult opponents. We are happy now for the win but we need to be consistent,” he said.

Gor Mahia slipped to fourth in the standings after their loss in Kakamega but head coach Steven Polack is not a worried man.

The Englishman said the league is still wide open and believes they can still recapture their top spot from Tusker by winning all their three games in hand.

Blaming their loss to Homeboyz on a five-day lack of training, Polack said the team is now back together and focused on bouncing back during their mid-week match against bottom-placed Chemelil Sugar.

“I believe a draw would have been the best result against Homeboyz in Kakamega and it was unfortunate we lost. That has nothing to do with our next match which we are looking forward to win.”

“We understand Tusker has taken a huge step ahead but I believe we can overtake them though it is still early to talk about the title. All we are working on now is to tackle each game at a time, especially the three games in hand,” Polack said.

Ulinzi Stars moved into third place with 34 points after their massive 3-2 comeback win over Western Stima and KCB’s victory against relegation bound Chemeli Sugar saw the bankers move joint fourth with Gor Mahia on 32 points.

However, Kisumu All Stars troubles seem to be far from over.