Western Stima Take NSL Charge As Ushuru falter

7th August 2018

Visiting Coast Stima force taxmen to 1-1 draw to aid fellow power men SPL promotion push

Bidco United's Sean Opwora was on target during their FKF National Super League match against Administration Police at Camp Toyoyo. PHOTO/Courtesy/FKF
Bidco United's Sean Opwora was on target during their FKF National Super League match against Administration Police at Camp Toyoyo. PHOTO/Courtesy/FKF
SUMMARY
  • Heated promotion race for the 2019 SportPesa Premier League (SPL) took another twist 
  • Western trounced basement side GFE 105 FC 3-0 over the weekend to move top
  • Ushuru missed the chance to regain the lead when visiting Coast Stima FC held them to a 1-1 draw
  • NSL action continues Saturday when Western host Bidco as Ushuru travel to face Nairobi 

NAIROBI, Kenya- The heated promotion race for the 2019 SportPesa Premier League (SPL) took another twist with Western Stima FC assuming leadership of the second-tier on goal difference after Ushuru FC faltered on Monday afternoon.

Western trounced basement side GFE 105 FC 3-0 over the weekend to move top but Ushuru missed the chance to regain the lead when visiting Coast Stima FC held them to a 1-1 draw at Nairobi’s Camp Toyoyo with both tied at 52 points.

KCB FC (47), Nairobi Stima FC (46) and Bidco United FC (42) round off up the top five in the National Super League (NSL) where the top two will earn automatic promotion to the SPL next season.

“We did not play according to the strategy and wasted so many chances to make the game safe in the first half. In the second, we allowed them to build pressure on our goal and they equalised.

“We are taking every game at a time and we shall move on from here,” Ushuru head coach, Ken Kenyatta rued after their run of three straight wins came to an end at Toyoyo.

Under pressure to dislodge Western from the NSL summit, the taxmen had a bright start and were rewarded in the 10th minute when Anthony Ekhaliani Ndolo, the 2014 top flight Most Valuable player, saw his shot turned into his own goal by Coast keeper, Said Dadho.

Erick Ngoja capped the visitor’s fight back in the 70th when he notched the equaliser in the 70th for a share of the spoils after a sustained period of pressure on the Ushuru goal.

Kenyatta tried to stem the flow of the game in the second half with two late substitutions, Luis Masika and Baron Oketch coming on for Samuel Karuri and Oscar Mbugua but Coast (33) did their fellow power men from Western a favour by holding on for the result that left them ninth on the log.

Seasoned forward

On Sunday, James Ogada, Fredrick Nyarombo, and Johanna Mwita were on target for Western in their stroll over GFE (14) with another promotion-chasing side, KCB losing ground in their pursuit of the top-two when they played to a 1-1 stalemate with visiting St. Joseph Youth (32) who are languishing 12th.

The bankers who have a game in hand over their immediate rivals were reduced to 10 men when Bethwell Warambo was sent-off in the second half with the game at 1-1.

Shami Mwinyi put them ahead before seasoned forward Moses Arita hauled St. Joseph level on the stroke of half time and despite playing for most of the second half with 10, KCB held on for the point.

Nairobi continued their surprising promotion push when they sunk Modern Coast Rangers FC 1-0 at Mbaraki Stadium in Mombasa also on Sunday before Bidco United FC in sixth (42) kept their hopes alive by beating Administration Police 2-0 at Toyoyo in Monday’s double header.

At the bottom, Nakuru AllStars (17) FC continued their slow climb from trouble when they produced a 1-1 draw against visiting Kisumu All Stars FC at Afraha Stadium, Nakuru.

Isibania (18) the side above them in 17th and Kakamega High School’s Green Commandoes (19) are within sights of the former SPL side in their fight to escape the drop to the third division.

NSL action continues Saturday when Western host Bidco as Ushuru travel to face Nairobi in mouth-watering contests with the potential of having a huge bearing on the battle for promotion.

KCB will relish the prospect of taking maximum points off free-falling GFE.

NSL RESULTS

Sunday

Western Stima 3-0 GFE 105 (Moi Stadium Kisumu, 3 pm)

KCB 1-1 St. Joseph’s Youth (Camp Toyoyo, 2 pm)

Kangemi All-Stars 1-2 Nairobi City Stars (Camp Toyoyo, 4.15 pm)

Nakuru All-Stars 1-1 Kisumu All Stars (Afraha Stadium)

Modern Coast Rangers 0-1 Nairobi Stima (Mbaraki Grounds)

Monday

Administration Police 0-2 Bidco United (Camp Toyoyo)

Ushuru 1-1 Coast Stima (Camp Toyoyo)