KCB’s assistant captain Brian Ochieng has acknowledged the rising pressure to maintain their lead at the top of the table.The bankers currently lead the 18-team league standings with 17 points after match week eight, two points ahead of second-placed Mara Sugar and four ahead of third-placed Kariobangi Sharks.##NAJAVA_MECA_8511207##KCB had a strong start to the season, going unbeaten in their first seven games until two weeks ago, just before the FIFA break, when they suffered their first loss of the 2024-25 FKF Premier League season to Mathare United.The league returnees stunned the bankers 1-0, and Mara Sugar followed suit, letting a spectacular 1-0 lead slip away to share the spoils with AFC Leopards, keeping KCB in first place heading into the international break.With the recent slump before the FIFA break, Ochieng has revealed the rising pressure to remain at the top of the table.##EDITORS_CHOICE##”To be and stay at the top, you must consistently win matches, and any slip-up adds pressure and gives close rivals the opportunity to close the gap. After the Mathare loss, we are obviously feeling the pressure to stay at the top,” Ochieng stated.Rio, as he is commonly known by his peers, went on to say that they will be aiming to get back on track when league action resumes on the weekend of 22, 23, and 24 November.TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Why Harambee Stars failed to register shot on target against NamibiaThe Patrick Odhiambo-coached team will face Ochieng’s former side FC Talanta in the first match of a double-header fixture at Dandora Stadium on Friday.”Our goal for Friday is to recover from the Mathare setback. We want to restart our push for the first-ever league title, so we need a positive response on Friday,” he affirmed.Ochieng added that the international break was a welcome respite, allowing them to work on their weak points.”The break was timely, allowing us to analyse our performance thus far and address our main areas of concern. It’s encouraging to see how well we used the break, and I’m looking forward to a strong performance in the final phase of the first leg,” remarked the former FC Talanta midfielder.Kenya U20 team set to play English Premier League side in two friendlies
