Magical Openda leads Telkom to loud victory over Sliders

Defending champions Telkom humbled Sliders 6-1 in a Kenya Hockey Union women’s Premier League matchh to extend their lead at the summit of the league as half season closes.

The early kick off match played Sunday at the City Park saw both Maureen Okumu and Jackie Mwangi grab a brace as Terry Juma and Barbara Simiyu scored a goal apiece.

Sliders consolation came at the tail end of the match courtesy of Noella Makena.

It was of course another routine win for the champions who destroyed Kenyatta University 7-0 on Saturday. However, apart from the result it is the return of veteran coach Jos Openda that took the centre stage.

The seasoned tactician had called time on his glittering career earlier this year but made a shock comeback on Saturday to make a significant impact on the team.

His return saw the side return to their scoring spree having struggled this season compared to previous seasons.

His command and leadership cannot be ignored as he barked orders on the touchline even as her charges mercilessly skinned Sliders.

Openda disclosed that Telkom’s withdrawal of sponsorship of the team fueled his return at the helm of the iconic club.

“Most people viewed me as the face of Tellkom and it pained me when the team lost sponsorship and so I am here to see how we can get another sponsor on board,” said Openda.

Telkom finished the half season unbeaten with five wins and two draws accumulating 18 points, four points ahead of United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) who are second on the log with 14points.

Having overseen two back-to-back matches after his return, Openda was quick to point out loose ends on her squad which he is set to fix ahead of the second leg.

“Our forwards are scoring goals which is commendable but all we need to work on is to organise our structure of play. We also have some issues now that we don’t have a sponsor; training has become a challenge,” added Openda.

On their part, Sliders have finished their first half of the fixtures sixth with seven points after only registering a sole win, with three draws and  a similar number of losses.