KCB head coach Robert Matano has challenged his forwards to improve their finishing despite guiding the bankers to a 3-1 comeback victory over SportPesa League debutants Mombasa United at Police Sacco Stadium on Wednesday.
KCB came from behind to secure all three points, with Mambote Batshi Assis and Fortune Omotto finding the back of the net as the bankers recovered from a difficult start to claim their second win of the campaign.
Mombasa United took the lead in the 9th minute through Rashid Moyo before Assis Mambote restored parity for KCB in the 20th minute.
The bankers then had to wait until the closing stages to take control of the contest with Fortune Omotto scoring in the 85th minute before completing his brace in the sixth minute of added time to seal the 3-1 victory.
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Despite the convincing scoreline, Matano was far from satisfied with his side’s attacking performance, particularly their failure to convert several clear opportunities in the first half.
“We are happy we got three points and scored three goals. That’s good, but we lost a lot of chances in the first half. I can’t even describe that one. Three clear chances in the first half were enough for us to bury the game early, but now we are going to work on it,” Matano said after the match.
The experienced tactician admitted that KCB had not performed to the standards he expected, although he welcomed the positive response from his players after their previous defeat.
“It is good progress after a loss. We also didn’t play as well as we expected, but the good thing is we got three points and scored goals,” he added.
Matano now wants his charges to sharpen their performance ahead of a demanding weekend fixture against unbeaten Gor Mahia, who will provide a stern test for the bankers.
The former Tusker and AFC Leopards coach insisted that KCB must raise their game if they are to compete against the defending champions, warning that Wednesday’s performance was not good enough despite the result.
“We have to improve our game because we are going to meet Gor Mahia. We have to improve our game. Today, it was not up to the standards that I wanted,” he stated.
The KCB coach also acknowledged that Mombasa United posed a difficult challenge with the newly promoted side determined to secure their first victory of the season.
According to Matano, the visitors approached the match with determination knowing that another defeat would extend their winless start to the campaign. However, he felt KCB created enough opportunities to win comfortably and should have settled the contest much earlier.
“But also, the team we played against was a team that wanted to win, having not won a game. So they came with full strength, everything to win the game, but we contained them. They didn’t get many chances, but we got many of them, so we have to improve on finishing,” he explained.
Matano further revealed that his technical bench had already been working on the team’s finishing but acknowledged that converting chances remains one of football’s biggest challenges.
“We have worked on finishing, but sometimes in football you cannot do everything correctly. What you get, you appreciate. That’s the coaching point. If you don’t score, there’s a problem when you have created chances, and that’s where we are going to work,” he said.
KCB will now turn their attention to Gor Mahia, knowing that improved efficiency in front of goal could prove crucial against the league leaders as they seek to build momentum following their victory over Mombasa United.