Western Stima tactician Henry Omino passes instructions to his players at half time during a past Kenyan Premier League match. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1- Western Stima head coach Henry Omino is salivating at the prospect of a home and away clean sweep against AFC Leopards for the second season in a row as the two clubs prepare to meet again in the space of three days on Wednesday in Kisumu.
Stima were 1-0 winners over Ingwe on Saturday in Nairobi with Ezekiel Otuoma scoring the winner and though he admits they expect a tough challenge, Omino has warned his charges will come out all guns blazing.
“If we keep the same performance we had on Saturday and prepare well psychologically, we will beat them again. We only have two days to prepare but if we can do some good work in that period, things will be okay,” Omino said.
“It will not be an easy match because they are playing well at the moment and they are a good side. They have improved technically and tactically and that showed in the second half on Saturday. We shouldn’t expect it to be easy,” the tactician added.
Omino has always chided AFC Leopards on his dominance over them and the win on Saturday was their eighth in the last 16 matches.
It was a huge shot in the arm for Omino’s men as the victory picked them up to 15th spot as they begin their slow ascend off the relegation zone. The win over Ingwe was their second consecutive league victory having beaten Tusker in their previous match.
A further three points against AFC Leopards tomorrow will see them climb to 11th. Omino has attributed the rise of the team to a change in personnel, having brought in a number of new faces in the June transfer window.
“We had some serious cases of indiscipline with the players we had in the first leg squad. We were forced to release most of them, 13 in number. We had to do that for the sake of the team,” the tactician said.
He added; “I am happy with the new players we brought in. They are doing well discipline wise and when it comes to training I can’t complain because they are following instructions. The team is now fluid, we understand each other and in time I know we will be a more cohesive unit.”
Omino, who led Western Stima to a sixth spot finish in the league last season, hopes they can better the feat by climbing into the top five positions, exuding confidence that his rolling stone will gather no moss on the way, arriving safely at the target.
