After a hard-fought draw against a strong Kakamega Homeboyz side over the weekend, KCB head coach Robert Matano has rallied his charges to dust off quickly ahead of Sunday's encounter against Sofapaka.
Last Sunday, the bankers played to a 1-1 stalemate against Homeboyz at the Bukhungu Stadium. Gideon Bendeka had fired the hosts into an early lead before Boniface Omondi levelled matters for the bankers, forcing both teams to share the spoils. After their tie with Homeboyz, Matano is optimistic that KCB are on the right trajectory.
"We will do better. I can see good progress in the team. We have not lost in three matches."
"Although we wanted more points, we got six out of four matches; it's not bad, but also not good," he said. The bankers have been unbeaten in their previous four league outings, securing draws against Bandari (1-1) and Bidco (0-0), a narrow 1-0 win over Mara Sugar, before their 1-1 stalemate with Homeboyz.
Matano has called on his charges to quickly shift gears to their next league fixture. "Our focus now is on the next match," Matano said.
KCB take on a wounded Sofapaka side, winless in their last three league outings. Batoto Ba Mungu’s run includes back-to-back losses against Bandari (2-0) and Ulinzi Stars (3-1) before a barren draw against APS Bomet over the weekend. The tactician noted that the bankers are slowly getting back into their groove.
"After losing a couple of matches, we are coming in strongly," he said.
Reflecting on their previous tie against Kakamega Homeboyz, Matano highlighted that they faced a tough opponent. "They are a strong team, and they sit number two on the table," he said.
Homeboyz are currently perched second on the league standings on 19 points, level with leaders Gor Mahia. Despite taking on a tough opponent, Matano noted that his team showed fighting spirit. "The confidence, composure, urgency and purpose were on display," he said.
However, Matano highlighted that injuries have plagued the team, noting that his charges are not at 100 per cent fitness. "We have to continue working hard, although sometimes we have some injuries and they slow us down."
"We have a lot of injuries, and our players are not at 100 per cent. We are struggling in terms of managing the injuries," he said.
Meanwhile, skipper Nashon Alembi echoed his coach’s optimism of a stronger showing in their upcoming ties.
"I am not impressed with our performance, but we take the positives and work towards the next game."
