KCB head coach Patrick Odhiambo has urged his charges to
sharpen their focus as the FKF Premier League enters the business end of the
season.
The tactician's call comes in the wake of a frustrating 1-1
stalemate against League debutants Mara Sugar at the Awendo Green Stadium on
Saturday.
The bankers looked set to claim maximum points when forward
Patrick Otieno put them ahead in the 24th minute, giving KCB the early
advantage heading into the interval.
However Mara hit back in the second half, drawing level
through a spot kick by Frederick Ngiela in the 65th minute, forcing both teams
to settle for a share of the spoils.
It was a disappointing outcome for KCB, who had hoped to
replicate their high-scoring 4-3 win in the reverse fixture, a thriller in
which James Kinyanjui bagged a brace alongside goals from Francis Kahiro and
Otieno.
Speaking after the match, Odhiambo lamented his side’s
recurring lapse in concentration, which once again cost them late in the game.
"We need to work on our concentration because most of
the time we score early then end up conceding goals late in the match,"
Odhiambo said.
"The boys are not concentrating then we end up
conceding goals."
Prior to their encounter against Mara, the bankers had
suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to defending champions Gor Mahia and settled for a
2-2 draw against Kakamega Homeboyz.
Despite the dropped points, the tactician took some
positives from the away trip. "The performance for me was 50/50
considering we played away from home and managed to get a point. That is a
positive thing," he noted.
However, the tactician couldn’t hide his frustration at the
penalty decision that denied his side victory. "This was our game, we
dominated all areas of play but unfortunately we conceded a goal through a
spot-kick," he noted.
He noted that it was not a clear penalty but the team had to
follow the referee's command. "It was not a clear penalty to me, it was
soft but at the end of the day the referee's decision is final," he noted.
On a brighter note, Odhiambo was pleased with the return of dependable defender
Haniff Wesonga, who made his comeback after injury. "Its good to see
Haniff back. He is a quality player and he brings a lot to the team, we are
excited to see him back," he noted.
"He was able to play for 20 minutes and he helped the
team both in the defence and attack departments," he noted.
With a few crucial fixtures remaining, Odhiambo believes the
returning defender could be a game-changer. "We know that he is going to
give us more in the next few League matches remaining," he noted.
