A fair return in spoils during FKF Premier League outings and a generous amount of playing time have marked Vincent Mahiga’s first season at the country’s oldest PL outfit, AFC Leopards SC.The left-back, part of a half-dozen swoop by the Leopards from Nzoia Sugar at the beginning of the season, adapted quickly, rarely missing out on any of Thomas Trucha’s line-ups.##NAJAVA_MECA_8118090##He says his growth has been gradual and steady and that the Leopards’ chance couldn’t have come at a better time.“I personally was ready when some of us moved from Nzoia. I knew it would present a different challenge from what we were used to in terms of expectations, but when you’ve been in the top flight for a while, you become accustomed to certain targets,” says Mahiga.Prior to reviving his career with the Sugar Millers, Mahiga had been in the ranks of Kakamega Homeboyz under coach Nicholas Muyoti, a side that lost the league title chase to Gor Mahia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the sugar millers also coming close during the 2022/23 season, the defender is no stranger to locker rooms where only title talks abound. He wants the same for Ingwe.Gor Mahia rules out Patrick Aussems as new head coach“The current season is already gone, and we did put in a good fight considering we were technically a ‘new’ team. It had to take a while to blend,” says Mahiga of their uneventful title quest.“We are still in the domestic cup though—the Mozzart Bet Cup—and this one we intend to give everything so that AFC Leopards returns to the glory days,” he continued.Leopards, after weathering the storms of preliminary knockout rounds, find themselves up against an equally title-hungry Kenya Police FC in the Mozzart Bet Cup semi-finals. This is a side they took down 1-0 one week ago in the league and held to a two-all draw in the first leg. They just might have a chance, Mahiga believes.“We did struggle at the start of the season because of the many new faces playing together for the first time, myself included. Over time, we have gotten better and our results speak for themselves. Most of us are experienced in top-flight football, and playing together has become a lot easier now. Against the police, we will go all out,” he adds.LIVE! Engin Firat mad as Harambee Stars are forced to play away from homeDespite having already tasted international football with the national team, the combative defender is aware of the prospects that winning the domestic cup will further offer him on the international stage.“The CAF Confederation Cup has always offered many players a wider continental platform to showcase their abilities. My teammates are well aware of this and we can only play in it by first winning the Mozzart Bet Cup,” continues Mahiga, whose youthful years were spent at GFE 105 FC in Eldoret.The former Chemelil Sugar man, capped three times with the national team Harambee Stars, considers their remaining league fixtures a must-win for the side if they are to lay any claim to next season’s title contest rights. A great momentum at the end, he says, will inspire more confidence heading into next season.“It should work that way, but only if we finish well. We intend to do exactly that, as we know this can really mean a lot to the fans, who will, in turn, back us massively for next season’s league title,” he concludes.Ingwe are scheduled to take on Police on Sunday for the Cup semi-final and will resume league action with an away trip to relegation-threatened Shabana FC. Kenya Commercial Bank and Ulinzi Stars will be their last league assignments.Adikiny happy with season’s progress, hopes for better next season
