KPL leaders Tusker FC are in the process of clinching a double this season after qualifying to the semi-final of the GOtv Shield. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 29- Kenyan Premier League leaders Tusker FC hope to banish a 23-year wait to lift the GOtv Shield as they prepare to face second tier side KCB FC in the semi-final on Saturday.
Tusker, the 10-time KPL champions last lifted the domestic cup in 1993, when the team was refered as Kenya Breweries while the tournament was known as President’s Cup.
They have tried in futility in the years that followed to quench that thirst, but this year, there is a feel-good atmosphere at the Ruaraka based club that their wait for a fourth Gotv Shield title may be over.
Tusker beat Posta Rangers 2-1 in the quarter-final of the Shield on Wednesday, a result that lifts them to the last four.
“We have the right quality; we have the spirit and the drive to do it. It has been a long time since the team won and most of us were very young at that time but I believe this season we can deliver the title. It will be a great honor for us, the fans and the company,” skipper James Situma told Capital Sport.
“We have the right quality; we have the spirit and the drive to do it. It has been a long time since the team won and most of us were very young at that time but I believe this season we can deliver the title. It will be a great honor for us, the fans and the company,” skipper James Situma told Capital Sport. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
He urged his team mates to avoid complacency despite facing a second tier side in the semis and believes the Bankers who were relegated from the Kenyan Premier League last season offer a substantive form of opposition.
“They are a very good team. We have watched some of their matches and to be honest, we don’t expect it to be easy. The same seriousness with which we approached Posta is the same we should have when playing against them. Knock-out games are usually very tricky,” Situma noted.
Tusker are in line for a season double, currently enjoying top spot on the KPL standings on 48 points, four ahead of second placed champions Gor Mahia.
Achieving success for both competitions is something Situma knows is possible and he dares dream the side can pull success from both directions.
“We have reached a very crucial stage of the season where each match is delicate. We can win both titles, that I am certain. We just need to take each match at a time, work hard and hope for the best,” the utility player who also won the league and domestic cup in two different occasions with Sofapaka said.
The Brewers hope to wrap up their league campaign before their final match against Gor, to reduce pressure on their shoulders.
Situma hopes they maintain, or increase the four point gap and he concedes if they go into the final match with Gor also having a possibility of winning the title, it will be no walk in the park for them.
