Sailors join top-tier league

Chase Sailors on Saturday sealed their place in next season’s Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Men’s Premier League after coming from behind to beat Kisumu Youngstars 2-1 in a men’s National League play-off match at City Park Stadium.

Two goals in one minute from captain George Mutira and Francis Esikuri saw the Sailors recover after falling behind to a seventh minute strike by Youngstars’ striker Joe Oyombe.

Sailors, who made their debut in the second-tier this season, can now start planning for life in the top-flight after an impressive season.

Mutira praised his teammates for their fighting spirit, noting that it would help them in their Premier League when they come up against tougher opposition.

NEW TEAM

“It feels so nice to have achieved this feat. This is a new team and no one thought we could achieve this,” Mutira told Sunday Nation Sport on Saturday.

“We got punished for a slow start but once we settled we began creating chances and had to wait to get the goals. Our team spirit we help us in the Premier League,” he added.

The match, which was meant to begin at noon had to be delayed after heavy downpour flooded the artificial turf.

The game eventually got off a few minutes after 3pm and it is the Kisumu-based side who hit top gear dominating early proceedings against their highly favoured opponents.

Their dominance was rewarded in the seventh minute when a sweeping move from the lakeside team was finished off by Oyombe whose shot beat Sailors keeper Collins Asimba at his near post.

The goal stunned Sailors into action, and they went in search of the equaliser after a rather lethargic start to the match.

Mutira, who joined from Premier League side Sikh Union Nairobi, spurned a great chance to level the match after he was set up by Esikuri, but his shot was brilliantly saved by opposing keeper Brian Ajuk.

Youngstars rarely attacked after the goal and sat back, taking the slim lead into the half-time break.

Sailors intensified their attacks in the second half and had to wait until the 54th minute for them to level the scores.

Mutira, the team’s leading scorer with 11 goals superbly flicked Ammon Esesse’s shot past Ajuk to level the scores.

A minute later, former Kenya Police player Esikuri sounded the boards with a brilliant field goal to give Sailors the lead.

The Kisumu-based side went in search of an equaliser, but were thwarted by the opponents’ defence.

They missed a great chance in injury time when Oyare failed to score with only Asimba to beat and Sailors survived to seal their place in the Premier League.