Kariobangi Sharks captain Kevin Luke Otiala says the team is motivated to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Mathare United in Sunday’s Slum Derby at Dandora Stadium.The last time Sharks won a Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) match was in early December when they beat Posta Rangers 1-0 away.Harambee Stars captain Abud Omar punched by referee during defeat to Zanzibar [VIDEO]Since then, they have picked one draw and two losses with the latest result being a 1-0 loss to reigning champions Gor Mahia.Speaking after Thursday’s training session at Utalii grounds, Otiala said: “We have not won in a long time and we have also drawn many matches. We are looking to this match to bounce back to winning ways.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8624832##Otiala added that the team was badly impacted by injuries to key players forcing coach William Muluya to change the entire first team.“We had many injuries, especially to first-team players but a good number are now coming back and it is a huge boost to the squad,” he revealed.Postmortem of Harambee Stars horror show compounded by Abud Omar’s shameful red cardThe former St. Joseph’s Youth central defender was one of the key players who had picked a long-term injury during a league match against Kakamega Homeboyz at the start of the year.Otiala’s injury, a collateral strain on his knee was initially thought not to be too serious but it took longer to heal, keeping him out for a long time.##NAJAVA_MECA_8624859##Before his injury Otiala had established himself as indispensable in Sharks’ backline and the injury therefore came as a massive blow for the side, leading them to let in goals in every game.Midfielder Byron Otieno was also ruled out for three months after he was stretchered off during a match against AFC Leopards at Machakos Stadium in October.Robert Matano appointed head coach of Tanzanian clubBut Otiala believes the worst is now behind them. “I want to urge our fans to come in huge numbers because we will win this game. We have had better preparations, the discipline is there and we are all hungry to win.”
