I have no coaching interests, says veteran Wanga

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) top scorer Allan Wanga habours no ambitions of heading to the dugout when he calls time on his decorated playing career.

Speaking to Citizen Digital after bagging a brace in the 2-0 win over  Chemelil Sugar 2-0 at the Bukhungu Stadium on Sunday, the Kakamega Homeboyz skipper who leads the score charts on 11 goals, one more than Ulinzi Stars’ Enosh Ochieng  and Sofapaka’s Ugandan Umaru Kasumba(9),said that coaching has never crossed his mind.

“It has never hit my mind that I will be a coach someday. In fact on my to-do list that could come last. I have a lot of things that I am trying to handle, one after the other,” he said.

On his short stint as interim coach which came in the wake of the abrupt sacking of the team’s former head coach Paul Nkata, Wanga said:  “I did not have a lot of challenges because our team had started gelling and it is a mix of experienced and young players. Their cooperation made the job much easier. I told myself to handle the team as a leader and not as a coach, and I’m glad it worked for the time,” noted the former Tusker striker.

For his part, Chemelil Sugar tactician Francis Baraza has taken his troops head on for what he terms as “taking long to get into the game” insisting that his charges have to get ticking from the go to avoid conceding early goals .

“Against Gor Mahia we conceded two quick goals, same thing here (against Kakamega Homeboyz). We must start working on our concentration, because when you concede early it is difficult to come back.The confidence levels are very low; this is the fifth game we are losing a penalty. The belief is not there,” decried the seemingly heartbroken Baraza.

Meanwhile Vihiga United head coach Mike Mururi has attributed the congestion of fixtures to the often below par showings by a number of KPL sides.

In a post-match interview after his side fell to a 3-0 home defeat against KCB, the former Kakamega Homeboyz tactician said: “So bad to lose with such a score line, especially at home. The inexperience in the post did cost us. But as a coach, I must admit my boys were fatigued. We played on Thursday (against Sofapaka) in Machakos, which is very far from here. We travelled on Friday, had only Saturday for training before today’s (Sunday’s) game. The boys are bound to be fatigued,” he lamented.

Homeboyz now sit fifth on 33 points from 21 matches after extending their winning run to four games, as Chemelil lie 14th on 21 points from as many games following a second consecutive defeat.

Twelve-time KPL champions AFC Leopards are nine points into safety, on 26 points from 21 rounds after marking their seventh win of the season, downing hosts Ulizi Stars 1-0 at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru.

Collated KPL round 21 results

Kakamega Homeboyz 2-0 Chemelil Sugar (Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega)

Vihiga United 0-3 KCB (Bukhungu Stadium, Kakamega)

Ulinzi Stars 0-1 AFC Leopards (Afraha Stadium, Nakuru)

Zoo Kericho 0-2 Sofapaka (Green Stadium, Kericho)

Bandari 1-0 Kariobangi Sharks (Mbaraki Grounds, Mombasa)

Mathare United 1-1 Tusker FC (Afraha Stadium, Nakuru)

Posta Rangers 1-2 Sony Sugar (Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos)

Mount Kenya United 1-6 Nzoia Sugar (Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos)