Tusker FC center back Tom Teka on Friday admitted to having been working so hard behind the scenes when he got through the club doors early September in a bid to get straight into the defending champions’ side.Impressing head coach Robert Matano, as expected, was tough, and it took him months before his services were summoned.Following the provisional suspension of club defender Isaac Kipyegon by FKF for suspected match-fixing allegations, Teka finally got his chance to start for his new club – a January 14 fixture against Nzoia United at the Ruaraka stadium.##NAJAVA_MECA_7031474##Looking back, Teka was relieved that his efforts had paid off.“I felt good to finally get that chance,” Teka told the club media. “It was a long journey coming. All that I had done in training had come through. I thank God for that opportunity.”However, in a rather unfortunate twist of events, his debut was not what he might have dreamt of.The former Kariobangi Sharks man was sent off in the second half of that game, an experience that had him questioning himself while ruing his missed ‘golden’ opportunity.🗣️| Our defender Tom Teka speaks on his experience so far after getting opportunity to play.#KenyaMilele #Brewers4Life pic.twitter.com/Q5x6g6Hg51— 🏆Tusker FC (@tusker_fc) February 17, 2023 “That was the first time in my career that I had received a red card. It had never happened again before,” Teka recalled. “I was stressed up and couldn’t imagine that I had let myself and my teammates down.”Three matches down the line (as he served his suspension), Teka was recalled into the team’s starting eleven, featuring against his former side Kariobangi Sharks in a 1-1 draw.Three days later, he started again, this time against rivals Gor Mahia in a game that he conceded a penalty -that was scored by Benson Omala- after handling the ball inside the net.The center-back however believes that watching his teammates gives him motivation to work hard, a key aspect that he says will be vital for his team in getting back to winning ways.Ferdinand Omanyala: The stone that was once rejected but is now Kenya’s athletic cornerstone“After the Gor Mahia loss, the team came together and we collected ourselves,” the former Kenya U-20 international said. “We are set and ready to go.”Tusker have had an uncharacteristic start to the season, winning the first six games to being winless in the last four fixtures. The Brewers, with seven wins in 14 matches find themselves eight points behind the leaders Gor Mahia.Ahead of Saturday’s game against Mathare United, the club has also announced that winger Lawrence Luvanda will miss the game due to personal reasons. Right back Boniface Onyango also remains out with a knee injury.
