Wazito FC skipper Elly Asieche has conceded that this season's Kenyan Premier League title has already slipped through their fingers and all they can do now is to battle fiercely for survival in the country's top tier.
The Moneybags have experienced a torrid season that culminated in the dismissal of the Francis Kimanzi-led technical bench a fortnight ago.
Wazito are currently placed in 15th position — one spot above the relegation zone — with a paltry 16 points from 17 matches and their hope of clinching a maiden title this season has since fizzled out.
They have crushed in nine of their matches, shared spoils in four, only managing to bag maximum points from the other four.
So dire is the situation at the club that they turned to their former gaffer Mike Amwai for fresh ideas, two years after demoting him to the academy side.
Amwai made a grand return, asserting authority with a convincing 1-0 win over Bandari who held them 1-1 in their reverse fixture a couple of days later in Nairobi.
His third match in charge proved a nightmare, watching helplessly from the touchline as his charges crumbled against the hard-battling Ulinzi Stars side who pipped them 1-0.
Amidst the crisis, Asieche is convinced they can still rise from the ashes and battle tooth and nail to maintain their status in the cut-throat top-flight league.
“Dreaming about the title would be farfetched at this stage given the points we have at this stage of the competition,” said Asieche.
“Our main focus now is to ensure we survive in the league this season and regroup to contest for the title next season,” he added.
Once the envy of other clubs owing to their unrivaled financial muscle, Wazito's fortunes have taken a drastic dip with some of their erstwhile luminaries seeking greener pastures to evade the dire financial constraints currently bedeviling the club.
Asieche has, however, issued a clarion call to his teammates to come through during this trying moment and toil indefatigably to keep the club afloat.
The mercurial midfielder who has defied age in the twilight of his career has set his individual targets for the season too.
“I have already netted five goals so far and provided two assists. This is a big improvement from the preceding season when I wrapped up with four goals and no assist at all,” Asieche said.
Asieche is doing his second season with Wazito after joining them from Sofapaka, where he plied trade for a whopping eight years.
Meanwhile, the club has confirmed the departure of Erickson Mulu, Kevin Kimani, Eric Gichimu, Cliff Nyakeya, Vincent Oburu, and Roland Ashimoto.
Kimani, who has since joined coastal side Bandari, made a cameo appearance for his new club against Tusker at Ruaraka Grounds on Wednesday last week, where they suffered a 2-0 defeat.
