Ulinzi Stars head coach Stephen Ocholla is convinced their 2-0 win over rivals AFC Leopards at Thika Stadium on Friday was a defining moment as they embarked on a determined mission to curtail their 11-year title drought.
The Nakuru-based soldiers struck on both sides of the interval to condemn Leopards to their second consecutive loss, effectively firing themselves to the apex of the log with 10 points.
Brian Birgen broke the deadlock with a 43rd-minute screamer from a set piece about 35 yards out before Hillary Simiyu latched onto Masita Masuta's enticing cutback to hurl the ball into the bottom corner from close range in the 57th minute.
Birgen came close to bagging a brace later in the second half after beating an offside trap only for Leopards' hawk-eyed custodian Maxwell Mulili to block his rasping shot.
"We made good use of our chances and I'm happy with today's performance. Of course, there are a few things we need to take care of before our upcoming fixtures and I believe we shall be well on the way to being title contenders if we smooth out the rough edges," he said."
"Every team's dream in the league is to win the title and we can't be any different. We will work hard to maintain a good run throughout the season." added Ocholla.
AFC leopards head coach Belgian Patrick Aussems commended his charges for exhibiting great character despite quite a number of them donning the senior team's jersey for the first time.
"We are developing very well. We are still in the process of building a new squad after many of our seasoned players left at the end of the season."
"Judging by the last two matches, and especially the one against Gor, I'm convinced we are on the right track," said Aussems.
"We, however, need to learn to make good use of the chances that come our way. We've been playing well and what we need to do now is to translate our good performances into wins, then we will be good to go," he added.
Following the loss, Leopards have slumped to 12th on the log with four points. Their fortunes have taken a beating in the recent past following the departure of their key players at the end of the season.
