Cruising Gor Mahia tighten grip on top spot

Zoo Kericho defender Dominic Ouma (left) attempts to go past Mathare United's Chris Ochieng' during their SportPesa Premier League encounter at Ruaraka grounds on August 19, 2017. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO |

What you need to know:

  • Otieno scores a brace as Slum Boys hammer Zoo Kericho for six.
  • Mathare, Sofapaka in huge victories as Posta and Chemelil level, Thika win.
  • The huge win ensures Mathare a leap to 13th place on the 18-team standings with 20 points.

Gor Mahia on Saturday consolidated their position at the summit of the SportPesa Premier League standings with a 2-1 triumph over Muhoroni at Moi Stadium, Kisumu.

Elsewhere, Mathare United’s escape from the relegation zone gathered momentum as the Slum Boys hammered Zoo Kericho by six unanswered goals.

Chemelil Sugar and Posta Rangers meanwhile settled for a one-all draw in Awasi as Sofapaka thrashed Nakumatt 5-2 while hosts Thika United picked up a win at last, triumphing with a solitary goal over Nzoia United.

Gor forward Timothy Otieno scored a brace in a span of six minutes to help K'Ogalo to a routine victory, a result that maintains new coach Dylan Kerr’s 100 per cent start with the team in his third outing.

Otieno’s first came on 22 minutes, when he directed a Jacques Tuyisenge cross from the right-hand side past a stranded Muhoroni keeper Gradus Ochieng with his first touch. 

The second arrived six minutes later as Otieno again found himself one-on-one with Ochieng’ after a free-flowing move that had involved Tuyisenge yet again. But this time round, the Harambee Stars trialist directed his effort into the far right-hand corner of the goal. 

“I enjoyed every moment of the game because everything I tried came off well,” an excited Otieno told Nation Sport after the match. “I thank the new coach for giving me this chance to lead the attack today.”

At Ruaraka Stadium, Chris Oduor scored the first hat-trick in the league this season to help Mathare coast towards comfortable victory.

Oduor helped himself to a brace by half-time while former AFC Leopards midfielder Ezekiel Seda added the third goal with his first strike of the season 10 minutes after the restart. 

Derrick Onyango netted the fourth with a quarter of an hour remaining. 

Oduor then completed his hat-trick via a penalty in the 80th minute before Onyango scored his second goal of the match and the sixth for his side at the stroke of full-time.

“This is persistent hard work whose results are now coming into the limelight,” Mathare coach Francis Kimanzi explained. “We’ve been playing well of late but positive results have not been coming our way.”

The huge win ensures Mathare a leap to 13th place on the 18-team standings with 20 points.