Kisumu All Stars edge Nakuru in second tier encounter

Gerishon Arabe's scored on the stroke of the halftime to help Kisumu All Stars beat bottom-placed Nakuru All Stars 1-0 in their National Super League (NSL) match at Moi Stadium in Kisumu on Sunday.

While the win is the fourth for debutantes Kisumu All Stars since the stars of the season, for Nakuru All Stars it is the seventh loss that they have suffered, which now leaves them with no point so far.

Despite their poor run, Nakuru Coach James Angila believes his side can bounce back again and be serious contenders in the league.

"We cannot write ourselves off now, it is still early and we believe we can still challenge the top teams. This is what we are working on now," said Angila.

A glorious opportunity for the host to take the lead came in the 32nd minute, when Dennish Ochieng's volley shot was parried by Nakuru goalkeeper Stephen Ochieng.

In pursuit of the opener, Kisumu coach Nick Aketch made a first half substitution as he brought in Dismas Amunga for Rocky Junior, who made little impact in the game.

Two minutes later, Arabe gave his side the lead with a high ball from the left wing that caught Ochieng off-guard.

A 51st minute substitution by Nakuru coach Angila saw him bring in Moses Arita in place of Joseph Esinye and the latter's introduction improved the visitor’s game as they created more chances.

They were denied a chance to level things in the 68th minute by Kisumu's goalkeeper Robert Ouma, who saved Peter Thiongo glancing header.

Aketch's charges resorted to play defensively in the last 20 minutes of the game which saw Nakuru dominate possession but they failed to get the equaliser.

Aketch hailed his side for the win adding that they are headed in the right direction.

“It is a win of a small margin but I am happy with it because at the end of the day it is the three points that count. This is good for us and I believe in the future it is going to help us a lot in this competition," he said.