NAIROBI, Kenya, January 27- Kenya Harlequins coach Edward Kinyany believes their Kenya Cup heartbreak two years ago was the main ingredient for their current dominance of the competition.Kinyany told Capital Sport on Thursday that his charges have since then treated each game with the respect that it deserves alongside taking into account how other teams are faring in their campaigns.
“We learnt a lot of lessons from the 2009 season, when we lost some crucial games early on that messed us up in the end. We decided that we will take each game as it comes and to be very vigilant with what is happening around us, so we’ve gone full out on each game we’ve played,” said Kinyany.
Quins are unbeaten in the current Kenya Cup campaign and are 10 points clear at the top of the standings with four matches remaining.
The defending champions need only 12 points from their remaining four games against Mean Machine, Nakuru, Impala and Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) in order to retain the title.
Despite that formidable run in, Kinyany is not worried of his team slipping up against those sides.
“We’re just taking each game as it comes. For us, we will play Machine (this Saturday), finish with that, hear what other teams have done elsewhere and then we move on to the next challenge. But we’re just taking each game as it comes. We’re not thinking ahead at all,” said the former international lock.
As for Machine who are bottom of the Kenya Cup pile, Kinyany believes their desperate position makes them a dangerous adversary on Saturday.
“Machine have always been our bogey side. We looked at the game we lost to them last season and we really regretted what happened. Machine is the worst kind of team to meet now because they are fighting to avoid relegation and we’re fighting to win the league. We’re on opposite ends but working as hard as possible,” said Kinyany.
Kinyany added that he has an injury free squad to choose from with fatigue he’s only worry after a grueling season.
Kenya Cup Fixtures:
Kenya Harlequins v Mean Machine
Impala v Nondies
KCB v Strathmore University
Nakuru v Mwamba
Follow the author at http://twitter.com/wekesa