Dull Afternoon as the Sharks play to a barren draw against Posta Rangers

The Sharks were held to a barren draw in round 28 of the FKF Premier League fixture played at the Kasarani Annex.

Coach William Muluya handed Steve Biko his second start since joining from Green Commandos while Kevin Musamali and Sharrif Musa returned to the starting team after lengthy layoffs.

Biron Otieno dropped to the bench with Fortune Omotto tasked with partnering Keith Imbali at the center of the park.

Youngsters Aroko Humphrey and Ghai Panchol earned spots on the bench as the Sharks looked to shake off a 6-1 loss in the hands of Kakamega Homeboyz in the last outing.

The starting team of the day and the substitutes.

The game started slowly with the Sharks controlling the proceedings from the first whistle. Leon Otieno came at the end of most of the chances created in the first half but luck was not on his side.

Perhaps, the best chance of the first half came in the 22nd minute when Fortune Omotto combined well with Steve Biko on the right wing with the latter bringing in a sumptuous cross that Otieno headed inches wide.

The other chance would come in the 31st minute when Keith Imbali floated a free kick in the area but Sharrif Musa failed to capitalize on a miskick from the opponents of the day defender and instead fed the ball right into the hands of the custodian from about six yards.

The game was level heading into the break with all teams having all to fight for in the second half.

Coach Muluya made his first change of the day at the beginning of the second period replacing injured Leon Otieno with Matthew Kibiwott. Otieno succumbed to a head injury after colliding with an opponent in added time of the first half.

Kibiwott injected some life into the game and his first significant contribution came in the 51st minute when he set up Fortune Omotto whose low shot was parried off by the goalkeeper for a fruitless corner.

Posta Rangers’ real first threat in the second half came in the 55th minute when Titus Achesa pounced on a misplaced pass from Collins Obanda to launch a counterattack that was dealt with by custodian Kevin Ouru.

Steve Biko would be the second player to go in the referee’s book after his reckless tackle on Titus Achesa earned him a caution. This came after Collins Obanda was cautioned in the 22nd minute for reckless play.

The Sharks made their second change in the 77th minute when Paul Odhiambo replaced Tyson Otieno in a bid to spice up the attack.  Another change came in the 86th minute with speedster Patrick Ngunyi replacing Sharrif Musa as the hunt for the first goal continued.

Posta Rangers nearly walked away with maximum points when one of their attackers only had the keeper to beat but skipper Kevin Otiala intervened in time with a massive tackle that caused him an injury that forced his withdrawal in added time. Youngster Ghai Panchol replaced him for the remainder of the second period in what was the last major event of the game.

The draw sees the Sharks move to 37 points while maintaining the 11th position on the log. Focus now shifts to the next league fixture against Sofapaka that will be played on Sunday.

Players warming up before the game

 

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Kenya Premier League