Brian Nyabuto's 31st-minute goal was all that Strathmore Gladiators needed to defeat Kenya Police in the Gold Cup club invitational hockey tournament at the Dashmesh Hockey Stadium, Nairobi on Sunday.
Gladiators recovered from their 1-0 loss to USIU-A Mashujaa on Saturday to record their first win in the seven-day competition. This was Police's second consecutive loss in a match characterised by lethargic performance and lack of desire.
"It was a much improved performance from what we witnessed on Saturday. The urgency and the fighting spirit was evident and we can tackle Exchequers with the belief that we can win," Meshack Senge, the Strathmore coach remarked.
The former national men's team coach added: "They (Exchequers) are a technical side so we have to be at our best to display our game."
Police looked disjointed and lacked the cutting edge in attack with Oliver Echenje the only forward available for the law enforcers.
While the absence of Strikers Kimutai and Govan Mbeki was felt, the former champions looked a pale shadow of their former selves.
"It's hard to explain how we lost. The challenge is converting our chances because we create but the ball could not just go in. We can't give up at this point but we need to keep fighting."
Editing by Tony Mballa
