Richard Otieno’s gallant debut for Mulembe United FC on Saturday in the second-tier National Super League (NSL) has set the ball rolling for the former Premier League outfit as they seek to ascend the table standings and, hopefully straight to the top flight.Otieno, shipped in from neighbors Vihiga Bullets who have since relocated to Nairobi upon ownership changes, struck in either half for the now Edward Manoah-coached side to dispatch visiting Migori United at the Mumias Sports Complex. He says he’s just picking up from where he left while at Bullets.‘’I had hoped for a goal when given a chance which also came as a surprise because I haven’t been with the team long enough,’’ says the lanky forward who only officially put pen to paper at Mulembe five days ago.FKFPL: We are firmly in the title race, Matano roarsTaking his tally to six goals for the season, Otieno believes the quest for a Golden Boot reward at the end of the season is still far out, even if the leading striker in the division has already hit double digits. Mara Sugar’s Philemon Nyakwaka sits pretty at the top on 15 goals for the season as Michael Karamor of Kisumu All Stars second in with a distant nine goals.‘’Consistency is what always counts in such races and the ones leading have been consistent in the first leg. That is exactly what I intend to do in the second leg, getting more minutes and scoring the goals,’’ continues the former Nyalenda United forward.Mulembe, formerly Vihiga United, have recently undergone management changes and the latest inclusion on the technical bench is Coach Manoah whose history with the outfit appears welcome to the many fans who yearn for premier league football once more. He was the one to hand the side its first taste of top-flight football in 2018.Murang’a Seal make yet another coaching change as Juma takes overDespite currently a massive 20 points off joint league leaders Naivas and Mathare United, there’s plenty of room for a shot at the top 3, Otieno believes as they prepare for an away onslaught against Dimba Patriots at the Wolves’ Den this weekend.‘’We are yet to even reach the mid-point in the season according to the table standings so there’s plenty of hope regarding lifting ourselves from up,’’ he continues. ‘’Even as I settle in I can already see that the team is generally good with great cohesion and con compete.’’##NAJAVA_MECA_7805382##United have lost a massive ten matches of the sixteen played thus far and average one point every match. The side, once heavyweights in the Western region, are closer to the bottom than they are to the top and the transfer window- carefully maneuvered by the new technical bench, could very well turn things around for a side that enjoys a huge following in Vihiga and its neighboring counties.
