- Shabana head coach Peter Okidi is not ready to give in on the SportPesa League title race, despite a heavy 5-1 defeat to AFC Leopards on Sunday.
- He is confident, noting that they still have a second-leg clash against the record champions, which, in his view, narrows the gap to six points.
- Up next, Shabana will host Kariobangi Sharks at Gusii Stadium before a potentially title-defining away showdown against Gor Mahia.
Shabana FC head coach Peter Okidi is not throwing in the towel on the SportPesa League title race just yet, despite his side taking a brutal 5-1 hiding from AFC Leopards at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
That heavy defeat, the Glamour Boys’ worst of the season, saw them drop vital points that could have lifted them above Ingwe into second place.
It also allowed Gor Mahia to stretch their lead at the top to nine points, with K’Ogalo sitting on 49 points compared to Shabana’s 40.
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Speaking after the match, Okidi, who is successfully steering Shabana in their third season since promotion, admitted they squandered key opportunities in the first half a defining spell in the contest but refused to single out any player for blame.
“The turning point was definitely when we missed those clear-cut chances in the first half,” he said.
“We had some really good looks, one of them was a sitter, but we switched off and they scored immediately after. So, for this one, I can’t point fingers at my players they gave it a real go. AFC Leopards were just good on the day. They kept their shape and transitioned brilliantly, so credit to them.”
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Shabana head coach Peter Okidi refuses to give up on SportPesa League title hopes
Despite the nine-point gap to Gor Mahia, Okidi remains optimistic about their chances of clinching the SportPesa title.
He is banking on the fact they still have to face the record champions again in the second leg, effectively making it a six-point gap in his eyes.
“The title is still wide open; nobody has sealed it yet,” Okidi insisted. “For me, it’s effectively a six-point gap with Gor because we still face them in the second leg. We have taken an L today, but we will come back stronger.”
In the match itself, goals from Samuel Semo and Tyson Otieno in the first half, a Samuel Ssenyonjo brace after the break, and a classy finish from Kayci Odhiambo sealed the emphatic victory for Leopards.
Shabana’s sole reply came from Wycliffe Omondi in the second half of the Sunday, March 1 clash.
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And Okidi, is not overly anxious about his team’s shaky transition play, insisting they will keep building on their attractive football as they go back to the drawing board to recover from the heavy defeat.
“I’m not too stressed about the transition issues,” he explained. “If you look closely at teams challenging for the league, they do not always rely on defending. Good football brings results.
Today, we got caught out on those transitions. Our defensive line tried to play an open game, and three of AFC’s goals came from those lapses. So we will just go back and work on our final third and making those chances count.”
Next up for Shabana is a home fixture against Kariobangi Sharks at Gusii Stadium, before their potentially title-defining away clash against Gor Mahia.