Western Jaguars coach Michael Malungu still wants his charges to focus despite thumping Strathmore Gladiators 5-2 in the men's Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Premier League match at the City Park Stadium on Sunday.
The Kakamega-based Jaguars were in their element with Edison Ndombi (22nd, 43rd) and Conrad Wafula(36th, 59th) each grabbing a brace.
Bethwel Masambu also got himself on the scoresheet with a 38th-minute strike in the Jaguars' biggest win of the season thus far, rendering Brian Ogenche and Keith Alusa's strikes a consolation. The duo scored in the 21st and 37th minutes respectively.
They look re-born since signing a three-year sponsorship deal with Down To Earth Technologies on June 10 and haven't lost a match since then.
With Butali Warriors certain to defend their title, Malungu added that they have to leapfrog Kenya Police to the second position.
The two sides face off in Kakamega on Saturday in a must-win match for Jaguars if their current form is anything to go by.
"We need maximum concentration to avoid conceding easy goals. We also need a cutting edge on the opposite end," Malungu, who doubles up as the national Under-21 men's coach quipped.
Jaguars threw away a 2-0 lead on Saturday to draw 2-2 with USIU-A Mashujaa as Jaguars rued missed chances.
A win would have enabled Jaguars to close the gap with Kenya Police to just one point but couldn't make their dominance count. "Mathematically, the league is Butali's to lose and second place is a realistic target for us. I am thrilled we scored two goals from short corners but we need to do more to perfect that. Ndombi impressed but we have to beat Police at home at all costs," Malungu reiterated.
Gladiators coach Meshack Senge cut a dejected figure who is figuring out a puzzle that continues to befuddle him after the latest defeat left the students eighth in the 10-team league.
Despite scoring first, Gladiators conceded two goals in three minutes to expound a torrid display for the 2016 champions who look a pale shadow of their former selves.
Ogenche who scored the opener said: "We started well, took the lead but we gifted our opponents three points. We didn't function as a unit and at the back, we looked naive. We need to turn things around starting on Thursday in the varsity derby against Mashujaa. We need to bounce back in a big way."
