After this hugely eventful round, Gor Mahia were dislodged from the top of the table by Posta Rangers as AFC Leopards climbed to second. Debutants Zoo Kericho collected their maiden Premiership point after drawing with Nzoia Sugar while Mathare United soaked in five goals for one against rampant Ulinzi Stars in the big result of the weekend.
Mathare United assistant coach Salim Ali: “We defended poorly in the first 15 minutes and we were punished for that (lost 1-5 to Ulinzi Stars). The bad start made things very difficult for us. This is a very big loss in the history of Mathare United. We tried to get something when it was 3-1 but ended up conceding more. That hurts. We are paining and concerned by this big loss.”
Kakamega Homeboyz coach Mike Mururi: “We just wanted a point from this match, not a win (drew 0-0 with Sofapaka). This is because Sofapaka is on a good run and we needed to protect ourselves first before trying to get a win. We fielded a new goalkeeper in the match, which was a gamble in itself but he made some good saves and showed he was worthy of that jersey. This is a good motivation for the boys now as we prepare to play Ulinzi Stars later this week.
Sofapaka coach Sam Simbwa: “We should have won that match (drew 0-0 with Kakamega Homeboyz). Homeboyz came with a defensive attitude but we were able to break them down, only we could not score. We should have gotten three points. We have to take that in our stride and start thinking about the next game and winning it.”
Chemelil Sugar coach Abdalla Juma: “It definitely feels good to have won for the very first time since I joined Chemelil Sugar, but I am more impressed with my midfielders (beat Bandari 1-0). Their marking was excellent and that played a very big role in our victory.”
Bandari coach Paul Nkata: “Somehow we didn’t get our coordination right (lost 0-1 to Chemelil Sugar). We didn’t play our best game and that was probably the effect of travelling by road from Mombasa to western. We created a few chances but conversion was a problem because the Chemelil defenders were so alert.”
Sony Sugar coach Salim Babu: “Defense was a big problem today (lost 0-2 to Muhoroni Youth). All other departments were working very well but the defenders were not at their best. We conceded two avoidable goals.
AFC Leopards coach Stewart Hall: “We shouldn’t have conceded even a goal in this match because we really dominated. (beat Thika United 2-1). But three points is three points, and we will gladly take them. The commitment from all the players was good, and there is something good going on. So, on to the next game.”
Muhoroni Youth coach James Omondi: “This win is what we needed (beat Sony Sugar 2-0). The season has been tough going for us because we have relatively inexperienced players but now that we have achieved this win I am sure we shall build up on it well and gather steam in the coming games. We can be competitive at this level and we intend to be so.”
