•The draw threw a wet blanket over Leopards' ambitions for a top-three finish, leaving them seventh on the log with 48 points.
•Juma took charge of Leopards' dugout in the absence of head coach Belgian Patrick Aussems who flew out to his native home on Saturday.
Image: ERICK BARASA
AFC Leopards had been fancied to make light work of Nairobi City Stars in their rescheduled Kenyan Premier League fixture at Thika Stadium on Monday, but that was not to be.
After a hard-fought action-packed thriller characteriSed by a flurry of missed opportunities, the city felines reluctantly settled for a one-all draw.
But still, they had to rally from behind to secure the vital point after teen sensation Timothy Ouma's 40th-minute strike fired Nairobi City Stars into the lead before Josphat Lopaga restored parity to save face for Ingwe in the 73rd minute.
The draw threw a wet blanket over Leopards' ambitions for a top-three finish, leaving them seventh on the log with 48 points.
However, after the full-time whistle, Leopards' stand-in gaffer, Tom Juma, observed that his charges deserved a pat on the back after an extraordinary comeback in the cut-throat competition.
“I know some of our fans are disappointed with today's outcome but it's only fair that the boys get the credit they deserve after fighting from a goal down to secure a point from this match,” Juma said.
“It's unfortunate that the outcome has interfered with our plans for a top-three finish to some extent but we hope to wrap up the season on high by collecting maximum points in our final fixture.”
“I'm generally impressed with the team's performance so far although we could have desired a better season.
“Remember we've finally managed to finish in the top ten despite having kicked off the season with eight players from the academy side. No one ever imagined we could achieve such a feat,” Juma said.
Juma took charge of Leopards' dugout in the absence of head coach Belgian Patrick Aussems who flew out to his native home on Saturday.
Aussems left the country on Thursday, a day after overseeing the side's heartwrenching 6-5 loss to arch-rivals Gor Mahia in the Madaraka Day Cup final at Nyayo Stadium. The tactician said he was taking a break to concentrate on family.
“Goodbye Nairobi! After 8 months of living alone, it's time for me to enjoy my family: my wife and my sons who returned from Canada to spend a few days with us.
“Ingwe fans, staff and players: finish on the last 2 games the good job we have done so far ...See you soon!” Aussems posted on his official tweeter account.
Monday's fixture between Leopards and City Stars had initially been slated for Nyayo Stadium on Sunday only to be moved to Thika due to the unavailability of the venue.
The outcome leaves City Stars fifth on the log with 48 points, four behind record champions Gor Mahia who are fourth.