Mathare United head coach John Kamau says failure to capitalise on their first-half superiority against Sofapaka cost them two points on Saturday.
Promoted Mathare held the 2009 champions to a 1-1 draw at the Police Sacco Stadium on Saturday.
Paul Kinyanjui fired the Slum Boys into a 19th-minute lead but Batoto Ba Mungu's new signing, Benjamin Mosha, equalised in the 69th minute.
Kamau was quick to point out Mathare's dominance in the first half, lamenting his side’s failure to capitalise on their chances to put the game to bed.
"We controlled the game in the first half and had enough chances to kill it off," Kamau stated. "To be honest, we dropped two points. We should have won it, especially with the opportunities we created."
He acknowledged Sofapaka’s second-half resurgence, admitting that his side struggled to handle the pressure.
"Sofapaka came out with a more direct approach after the break and we lost our composure on the ball," Kamau admitted.
It was Mathare's second point of the campaign in three matches. They lost 4-0 to AFC Leopards in the season-opener and drew 0-0 with Kakamega Homeboyz at Mumias Sports Complex.
Meanwhile, the draw saw Sofapaka collect their first point of the season following back-to-back 1-0 losses to Tusker and Talanta.
Kamau was full of praise for Kinyanjui, the young forward who has shown flashes of brilliance, tipping him as one of the breakout stars of the season.
"I believe Kinyanjui will be among the most exciting young players in the league," he stated.
However, he stressed the importance of managing the youngster’s workload to avoid burnout.
"We have to be smart with him. Playing him in every match might wear him out too early," he said.
"We’ll use him mainly in the first half and then gradually give him time to rest as time goes by."
Kamau remains optimistic after gaining "valuable lessons" against Mathare.
"This game has taught us some hard lessons. We'll build on that as we prepare for the next challenge," he said.
Mathare face champions Gor Mahia at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, in their next outing.
