State of the KPL: Sinking City Stars hand Gor lifeline

With only three rounds left before the stagehands bring down the curtains of what has been a magnificent Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season, the league is building up to what promises to be an equally glorious and frustrating finish.

How things can change quickly in football, and some statements made here might have seemed ridiculous just a few days ago.

When Tusker FC won the Gov Shield Cup four days ago, their Head Coach Paul Nkata – brimming with the joy of winning a first title with the Brewers after only eight months in charge – finally admitted his side were on course to knock giants Gor Mahia off their perch.

Fast forward, bottom-table side Nairobi City Stars added an interesting twist in the title, rallying from a goal down to claim a shock 1-1 draw against the 2012 champions on Sunday. Shocking as it were, Nkata might have just predicted a bumpy last stretch after declaring how ‘these mediocre teams can be stubborn’.

The Kawangware-based side – lying six points adrift the safety zone – have nothing to salvage from their heart-rending season but they might have done just enough to set storm upon Tusker’s sails.

The result revived K’Ogalo’s bid for a record fourth straight league crown following their timely win over derby rivals, AFC Leopards, after eight times of trying.

It’s a perfect pre-climax ahead of the closing day showdown pitting Nkata’s men and Head Coach Marcelo ‘Ze Maria’ Ferreira’s charges on November, 19. Before then, Gor host Francis Kimanzi’s Mathare United before being presented with the chance to amend for their KPL Top 8 shortcomings in the hands of Muhoroni Youth when they travel to the Awendo Green Stadium.

As the log stands, one more stumble from the Brewers (a draw or a loss) will put the fate of the league in Gor’s hands.

“They have to lose one match; against Sony Sugar or AFC Leopards so it’s upon us to win our own fixtures. We have to do our job before finally playing them on the last day. Each match for us is very important for us now and we don’t want to focus on how other results end,” Ze Maria told Citizen Digital.

On the other side, the Brewers visit Sony Sugar before hosting AFC Leopards, whose long, sorry decline have left players and fans alike in absolute distress.

Interim Coach, Ezekiel Akwana, is handing over a team bereft of confidence to Ingwe’s new Coach Stewart Hall and with the turbulence of transition expected at the Den, there is little the Englishman can do to save their poor season.

While the middle pack have already guaranteed their places in the country’s top-flight league next season, Ushuru FC are the only chance of survival for bottom place sides City Stars and Sofapaka FC. Of the two, only Batoto ba Mungu stand a real shot at sinking the Taxmen down below them provided they pick maximum points from their last remaining fixtures.

Either way, the prospects of an intriguing last-minute escape seem far-fetched but the hottest of battles for the 2016 league crown looms.