A first half goal from Brian Eshihanda earned Football Kenya Federation Premier League leaders Kakamega Homeboyz three points on the road after breaking sweat to beat a resilient Ulinzi Stars 1-0 at Thika Stadium.The narrow win saw Homeboyz open a eight-point gap between them and the second placed Tusker who had moved to five points within their reach following the recent run of positive results.The result on the other hand means that Ulinzi have stretched their recent winless run to three matches as they had drawn debutants FC Talanta and lost to Gor in the preceding two matches.Ulinzi head coach Benjamin Nyangweso could not hide his disappointment with the manner in which they conceded the goal that turned out to be the match winner.”We were punished for our mistake. They eon the game from a half a chance. We also had our chances but couldn’t make them count,” he lamented. Ulinzi fans had to hold on their nerves after a frenetic move initiated by Brian Birgen down on the right wing ended up with the ball ricochoting off the woodwork as Julius Nabutete who was completely unmarked tried to finish off the cross delivered by the former. Before Ulinzi had threatened to break the deadlock, Homeboyz centre back Brian Eshihanda rolled the days back to when he was a forward, evading past hurdles but shot directly to the waiting hands of Jackton Odhiambo. However, Eshihanda would not be denied for the second time as he rose high in the 16th minute to head home a freekick delivered by Stephen Wakanya, giving Homeboyz the lead against the run of play. Ulinzi had enjoyed dominance in the opening minutes of the game with their flanker Stephen Etyang who was eager to serve bitterness to his former employer making spirited runs on the left wing. Their domimance however did not count for anything heading into the first half water break as Homeboyz had taken the lead after the centre referee Isaac Hamisi awarded a freekick from as far as the centre of the pitch which Wakanya floated in the area. The youthful referee had penalized Ulinzi’s John Kago for tagging Eric Ambunya’s shirt, a challenge that was aimed at stopping him from sprinting and delivering the the box. The water break proved timely for Homeboyz as it is after necking the drinks that they let their game plan out as they ate into Ulinzi’s dominance and creating chances unlike early into the game. Ulinzi’s Ibrahim Shambi who was playing at an advanced role missed a chance to draw his side level in the 36th minute when he picked a loose ball just from the edge of the box but fired wide. The match was halted for a couple of minutes towards the end of the first half after Homeboyz winger Gaetan Masha landed on the rough pitch after Etyang obstructed him but was cleared to carry on by the medics. With the game still within their reach, Ulinzi introduced Oscar Wamalwa for Etyang before kick off, a change that saw Shambi who had been partnering Nabutete upfront drop to the midfield. Medics from either sides were busy in the second half as the contest was more physical than tactical with Ambunya bearing the most of it as he suffered a cut that occasionally had to be attended to. Despite both teams throwing in fresh legs, the scores remained unchanged much to the advantage of the visitors who had to commit numbers in their box in the final minutes of the game to protect the lead.Ulinzi Stars XIJackton Odhiambo, Brian Birgen, Boniface Andayi, Bonventure Muchika, Harun Mwale (Masita Masuta 63), Boniface Onyango, John Kago, Omar Boraafya(Antonio Abwao 63), Stephen Etyang (Oscar Wamalwa 46) , Julius Nabutete, Ibrahim Shambi (Kevin Thairu 57)Unused substitutesJames Saruni(GK), Wilfred Njoroge, Benard Ongoma, Peter Glen, Enosh OchiengKakamega Homeboyz XIGodfrey Oputi, Collins Odhiambo, Sylvester Owino, Eric Ambunya, Christopher Masinza (Michael Isabwa 57), Stephen Wakanya, Brian Eshihanda, Moses Mudavadi (George Odiwuor 68), Yema Mwamba, David Okoth (Raymond Murugi 89), Gaetan Masha (Stephen Opoku 68)Unused substitutes Stephen Otieno, Benjamin Oketch, Sunday Mutuku, Estone Esiye
