K’Ogalo will face the wrath of wounded Leopards on Sunday

So far, AFC Leopards have managed four wins, two draws and two defeats out of eight Kenyan Premier League games this season, but the future looks bright.

I appreciate efforts made by our able coach John Stewart Hall; but he must sharpen his striking force ahead of the Mashemeji derby scheduled for May 7 in Nakuru.

Ingwe have struggled to convert their chances into goals in their past games and the trend must be reversed.

In the absence of Paul Kiongera, who returned at the weekend, the 13-time champions have been hugely dependent on Ghanaian attacker Gilbert Fiamenyo who scored against Posta Rangers on Saturday, taking his goals tally to four.

With the return of Kiongera after a three-week lay off due to injury, Ingwe has more options in attack and must now reap maximum points against our noisy neighbours on Sunday.

Hall must focus on this game and be absolutely sure we respond well to avoid questions from our loyal fans regarding his future at the den. We started the league with a 0-0 draw against Ulinzi Stars, lost 0 -2 to Chemelil Sugar and beat Muhoroni Youth 2-1.

We then had another 2-1 win against Thika United before going down 0-1 to Sofapaka . Even Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Rangers was not a bad result, given that Rangers have maintained their unbeaten record against Ingwe since 2011.

When the lads occupied the top slot, fans started getting the impression that we were headed in the right direction. Hall must work hard to make the fans happy by winning to keep the title hopes alive.

After going through a quite structured training programme, we saw the youngstars step up to force a draw against Rangers to recover from the 0-1 mid-week defeat to Sofapaka.
High morale

As things stand, morale is still high at the den and we expect to triumph against Gor Mahia. We need to give our coach and players more time to leave a lasting impression.

Since he took over the team from Ivan Minnaert it has been like the beginning of culture change, which we desperately needed.

The squad is changing rapidly. Fiamenyo’s style is good but the Ganaian needs a speedy partner to help him score enough goals.

I know Hall is on a rebuilding process but he must address the concerns raised. His coaching background is good and he is knowledgeable enough. It’s about re-establishing Ingwe as a powerhouse in Kenyan football. This is the first step towards much greater things.

No doubt, Hall has players who can go on to achieve great things and Leopards fans must believe in him. He has developed a good culture at the club and a sense of responsibility among the playing units.

The level of discipline among players in our camp is far greater than it used to be five years ago.

The players are technically far better than they were last season. Immediately after he was unveiled as the new coach, Hall unveiled his vision for the club and he has gone ahead to roll out his strategy, which will yield good results.

The coach must now actualise his plan of starting a programme for young players joining the club at 13, 14 and 15 years of age to mould them into future stars for the senior team.

After Sunday’s Mashemeji derby, the two arch-rivals will meet again at Nyayo Stadium later this year for a return match which Gor will host.

Saturday’s performance didn’t inspire confidence ahead of this week’s big match.

But Afraha Stadium is not an appropriate venue to host such a big match. The current Ingwe squad is technically superior, fast, offensive and creative. K’Ogalo will be in trouble on Sunday!