SPL Match-Day 2 Review: Bandari Make Statement, Mathare Take Early Charge
17th December 2018
The Dockers opened their charge with victory over champions Gor Mahia FC and on Sunday, Batoto ba Mungu found the coast side too hot to handle as they made yet another huge statement
- The 2018 SportPesa Premier League (SPL) runners-up Bandari FC continued to show their intent on vying for a maiden title with yet another impressive victory, this time over 2009 champions Sofapaka FC in the highlight fixture of round two in Machakos
- Despite their heroics, Bandari trail early pace setters Mathare United FC, who began the season in red-hot form just as they have in the past three and Kakamega Homeboyz FC on goal difference in the embryonic SPL standings
- Tusker FC are the other domestic giants yet to find their groove early after becoming the second victims of Stima who are marking their return to the top flight after a season-long hiatus
NAIROBI, Kenya- The
2018 SportPesa Premier League (SPL) runners-up Bandari FC continued to show
their intent on vying for a maiden title with yet another impressive victory,
this time over 2009 champions Sofapaka FC in the highlight fixture of round two
in Machakos.
The Dockers opened their charge with victory over champions
Gor Mahia FC and on Sunday, Batoto ba Mungu found the coast side too hot to
handle as they made yet another huge statement.
Despite their heroics, Bandari trail early pace setters
Mathare United FC, who began the season in red-hot form just as they have in
the past three and Kakamega Homeboyz FC on goal difference in the embryonic SPL
standings.
Western Stima FC lead the running for promoted sides in
fourth as the only other team with maximum points from two outings with 23
goals scored in eight matches in the latest offering of the domestic top
flight.
Bandari constructed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Sofapaka at
the Kenyatta Stadium where seasoned forward Kepha Aswani got Batoto Ba Mungu off to the perfect start
but Congolese striker Yema Mwama and Wycliffe Ochomo scored in the second half
to give coach Bernard Mwalala a second win in as many matches.
Sofapaka who ushered in the season with victory over Mount
Kenya United FC, slid down to seventh.
On Saturday, Mathare also made it two wins with a resounding
3-0 defeat of 10-man Nzoia Sugar FC at the Bukhungu Stadium courtesy of goals
from Cliff Nyakeya, Andrew Juma and Chrispin Oduor with head coach Francis
Kimanzi on the hunt for a second league title with the Slum Boys following
their 2008 triumph.
However, their ability to last the distance comes into
question having raced off the blocks in the previous two campaigns only to run
out of steam in the second leg of the competition for the outfit that finished
eighth last term.
The defeat left Nzoia in 10th on the log, with the three
points they garnered from the 1-0 opening day victory over Zoo Kericho FC who
prop the standings following their 0-4 whitewash by Gor in midweek.
Homeboyz FC ran out emphatic 3-0 winners over AFC Leopards
SC in the second match of the Bukhungu double header to move up to second with a
goal separating them and the league leaders.
Peter Thiong’o broke the deadlock in the 13th before Maxwell
Ravel and George Mandela struck in the second half to seal the victory for
Homeboyz and plunge Leopards who drew their first fixture to hover above the
drop zone in 15th.
Tusker FC are the other domestic giants yet to find their
groove early after becoming the second victims of Stima who are marking their
return to the top flight after a season-long hiatus.
Henry Onyang’o was the hero for the power men, leaving
Robert Matano and his 11-time league winners he led to the 2012 crown still
searching for a win in the new season.
Having been stunned 2-0 by Vihiga United FC in the first
round, 2010 champion Ulinzi Stars FC regrouped to hand promoted KCB FC a 3-1
beating at Afraha Stadium on Sunday to steady the ship.
Only stalemate
Elijah Mwanzia, Daniel Waweru and Enos Ochieng’ were on
target for the soldiers to cancel out Clinton Kisiavuki’s first half effort for
the bankers to propel them to eighth on the league table.
Vihiga on the other hand, produced the only stalemate of
round two as their visit to Chemelil Sugar FC resulted in a share of the spoils
in a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon.
The game went ahead at the Chemelil Complex only after the
Kenyan Premier League Safety Committee cleared the venue for SPL games having
earlier banned the ground alongside four others.
The SportPesa/SJAK Player of the Month for October/November,
Amos Kigadi, put Vihiga ahead in the 17th and they seemed to be heading for
their second successive win until Gilbert Wangulu got the equaliser with seven
minutes left in the game.
The Mike Muiruri-coached Vihiga round off the top five with
four points, three better than their opponents who occupy 14th after a losing
start to Mathare (0-2) in round one.
The renamed Mt. Kenya went down 1-2 at the hands of Posta
Rangers FC where the latter scored a first victory of the season as the former
only above bottom on goal difference from Zoo.
SPL holders Gor kicked off round two’s action as they got
off the mark for the season under new coach Hassan Oktay last Wednesday with a
remarkable 4-0 victory over bottom side Zoo.
A first half Ephrem Guikan double and another from Sammy
Onyango gave the record league champions a 3-0 halftime lead, before new
signing Erisa Ssekisambu added a fourth in the second half to seal all three
points for sixth-placed Gor.
Kariobangi Sharks FC will close the round on Tuesday when they
face Sony Sugar FC having been out of SPL action this weekend due to their CAF
Confederations Cup first leg encounter against Kumasi Asante Kotoko FC of Ghana
at the Kasarani Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams played out to a barren draw and Sharks will
travel to Ghana for the second leg set for the Bayabara Stadium on Saturday.
SPL ROUND RESULTS
Wednesday
12/12: Gor Mahia FC 4 Zoo Kericho FC 0 – MISC, Kasarani
Saturday
15/12: Mathare United FC 3 Nzoia Sugar FC 0- Bukhungu
Stadium, Kakamega
15/12: Kakamega Homeboyz FC 3 AFC Leopards SC 0- Bukhungu
Stadium, Kakamega
15/12: Chemelil Sugar FC 1 Vihiga United FC 1- Chemelil
Complex
Sunday
16/12: Sofapaka FC 1 Bandari FC 2- Kenyatta Stadium,
Machakos
16/12: Western Stima FC 1 Tusker FC 0- Moi Stadium, Kisumu
16/12: Posta Rangers FC 2 Mt. Kenya United FC 1- Afraha
Stadium, Nakuru
16/12: Ulinzi Stars FC 3 KCB FC 1- Afraha
Playing Tuesday
18/12: Kariobangi Sharks FC v Sony Sugar FC- Kenyatta
Stadium