FKFPL Omala’s offside goal, Trucha's stuttering start at AFC Leopards and why can't Shabana stop conceding late?

Where will AFC Leopards get a win from? Why can’t Shabana prevent conceding late equalizers and should Omala’s goal have been allowed to stand?

After match week seven of the FKFPL, teams have had enough time to make fans, pundits and neutrals alike start gathering substantial information about how the season could pan out come May.

With officially now 27 gameweeks left to go, a lot of things could still change as it is a long season ahead, but after nearly two months of FKFPL action now behind us, here are some of the conclusions we made from match week seven of the FKFPL.

Did Omala earn a reprieve for the second week in a row?

Gor Mahia hotshot Benson Omala has now scored seven goals to keep him top of the goalscoring charts this season, but we need to have an honest conversation about his last two goals .

First, his winning goal against AFC Leopards was debatably from an offside position. He had been standing way off the line during the build up for the goal, and by the time Rwandese Patrick Sibomana released the ball to him to tap it in, his leg was in an offside position.

It remained unclear though. However, his goal against Tusker on Sunday was clearly from an offside position, as Omala ran behind Mike Kibwage’s shoulder but from an offside position after Sibomana delivered a dangerous cross which he met with a diving header.

Where will a win for AFC Leopards come from?

Things are going from bad to worse inside the den.

First, the club decided to part ways with Tom Juma after the Mashemeji Derby, as Ingwe lost 2-0 to their sworn rivals Gor Mahia before the international break.

They then decided to go for Tomas Trucha, who returned to the club for a second stint after initially quitting in 2020 after claiming he had received death threats.

However, his return proved sour as Leopards were beaten 1-0 away at Mbaraki Stadium in a very hot Mombasa City, which will leave their fans questioning when their next win will come.

Ingwe languish 17th in the table on four points, level with Sofapaka who got their first win of the season at home against Kenya Police.

If they are not careful, they could be rock-bottom should they fail to win their next match against Nzoia Sugar.

Are Sofapaka ‘back’?

Batoto Ba Mungu won their first game of the season, overcoming the threat of ‘Police Saint Germain’ at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on Satrurday, as Fiston Razak netted his first goal since returning to the club in the off-season.

Before the match, interim coach Ezekiel Akwana insisted that nothing short of a win would have been acceptable if his charges were to stand a chance of getting out of their predicament.

The side finally registered their first win, to put them to four points. They are still bottom of the league, but could get out of that situation should they keep the run going, beginning with their next league match against Tusker next Saturday.

KCB are profligate

KCB created a flurry of chances but could not make them count as they rallied from behind to force Ulinzi Stars to a draw at the Kasarani Stadium on Saturday.

The Bankers were superior for large parts of the second half, creating inroads in Ulinzi’s half, but just could not capitalize on them, with Derrick Otanga missing two clear chances before his strike in the 90th minute game the Nairobi-based outfit some reprieve.

Head coach Benard Mwalala revealed his frustration at full time, saying that the side must work on this aspect in training if they are to achieve their goals of doing well and achieving their silverware target come the end of the season.

Have Posta Rangers been found out?

After a near-perfect start to the season that saw Posta win five games on the bounce after drawing their first game of the season against Bidco United to put them top of the league before the second international break, Posta Rangers were shell-shocked as Ken Kenyatta’s FC Talanta beat them 3-1 on Saturday.

This is naturally getting people talking, wondering whether it was just a bad day in the office, or their fairytale run has simply come to an end.

Head coach John Kamau, who has been dubbed the Kenyan ‘Pep Guardiola’ for implimenting a swashbuckling style of play that has made them dominate games and get their wins, was seen scratching his head in a not-too-dissimilar manner to the Spaniard as Posta had to accept defeat.

FC Talanta have earned a reputation for being a side that slays big giants, and unlike last season, they are scoring more goals, particularly in the last two games where they have scored six goals.

They drew against Kakamega Homeboyz in the last round, and frustrated AFC Leopards to a 0-0 draw in the very first one.

It remains interesting to see how Posta will bounce back from this one.

Shabana can’t stop conceding late

Shabana just cannot stop conceding goals in the latter stages of a match. The Gusii-based outfit have struggled to hold on to their leads, with their 1-0 win over Tusker the only match where they successfully managed to maintain their lead.

The Tore Bobe had gone 2-1 up thanks to goals from Vincent Nyabuto and Eugine Mukangula after initially going 1-0 down.

However, they could not hang on to their lead, as they gave away a penalty which was converted by Vincent Owino to deny the side a win at home in front of their own fans.

This will leave head coach Sam Okoth frustrated, as he had nearly hinted at wanting to quit after match week four citing frustration at his side’s tendency to concede late goals.

If they are to stand any chance of avoiding the drop, they need to learn how to protect their leads.