Nakumatt bullish as Nzoia, Zoo get ready to pounce

Nakumatt FC believe they have what it takes to finally crack into the Kenyan Premier League as the National Super League (NSL) leaders welcome promotion rivals Afro Chemicals in the top clash of the weekend fixtures on Sunday.

The retailers emerged from their first stern test of the second leg by inflicting a first defeat to Zoo Kericho with a 2-1 away victory that saw them scale to the NSL summit on 36 points.

Beating another direct challenger in the race to bag at least two automatic promotion places to the top flight will be the biggest statement of intent in the tight battle to escape the second tier.

“Like any other match, we need to plan ourselves well since my mandate as the coach is to ensure that I prepare them well,” head coach and former AFC Leopards national title winning player, Fred Ambani told.

“We are going to make use of our new signing Kimona Wanyonyi for the first time and we expect good results,” he added.

Anything other than victory against the fourth-placed side who five points adrift will blow the lead wide open with second placed Nzoia (35) and Zoo (32) out to pounce at home to St. Joseph’s and away to Nakuru All Stars.

All top five sides rounded up by Kariobangi Sharks (29) are playing on Sunday meaning there will be no early pressure for Nakumatt to hold on to their lead.

Nzoia who remain the only unbeaten side surrendered first position when they were held to a 1-1 draw by battling seventh-placed Palos FC (25) and host a side that is only two places above the relation places.

Zoo will also fancy taking maximum points from Nakuru with their hosts who were demoted from the top flight at the end of last season only managing to secure 16 points from 16 games.

At the tail end of the table, basement side Shabana FC who lost their midweek tie 2-1 to Palos to end a run of three successive draws are running out of games to claw back the six points that would lift them off the red zone.

They are away to ex-KPL side KCB at Nairobi’s Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani on Sunday.

The Gusii based former top-flight titans are protesting against what they termed was biased officiating in their barren stalemate with Sharks.

“The officiating is wanting. The assistant referee was not sure of what he was doing and so many cases have been raised on different occasions on officiating and something should be done,” the club’s Organising Secretary, Stephen Kiama lamented.

Report by Denis Ohuru

Fixtures

Saturday

14:00 Wazito FC v Police FC

15:00 KCB v Shabana

15:00 Modern Coast Rangers v Bidco United

15:00 Vihiga United v Palos FC

Canc. KCB v West Kenya Sugar

16:15 Moyas FC v FC Talanta

Sunday

15:00 Kariobangi Sharks v Oserian

15:00 Nairobi Stima v Ligi Ndogo

15:00 Nakumatt v Agrochemicals

15:00 Nakuru AllStars v Zoo Kericho

15:00 Nzoia United v St Joseph FC