Rebuilding Leopards head to Mt Kenya for friendlies
AFC Leopards have travelled to central Kenya for a pair of friendly matches as coach Stewart Hall continues to rebuild for the 2017 Kenya Premier League season.
According to the club CEO Ronald Namai, the club will play against Embu County FC on Saturday afternoon and Tetu Combined In Nyeri on Sunday morning before heading back to Nairobi.
“The coach will use the two friendly to gauge his charges and assess the preseason progress of the team,” he told Nairobi News.
The former premier league giants have been on an intensive recruitment drive roping in 10 new players. They have raided Posta Rangers for anchorman Duncan Otieno and steely defender Abdalla Shittu Salim. Hall has also lured the pair of Robinson Kamura and Whyvonne Isuza from Mathare United.
The 13-time champions have also captured Dennis Sikhayi and goalkeeper from Western Stima. Left back Marcus Abwao (Nairobi Stima) has also joined Ingwe as well as Michael Kibwage (Kakamega Homeboyz) and Ibhaim Mao (Sofapaka).
PRESEASON TRAINING
The Briton has also promoted youngsters Vincent Oburu, Austine Odhiambo and Jackson “Pogba” Juma from the club’s youth team The Cubs.
Also in the Leopards roster is Ghanaian striker Gilbert Fiamenyo, who was acquired in June, but whose contract wasn’t validated until this year.
Club chairman Dan Mule was quoted by kpl.co.ke saying that the team’s primary ambition for now was to have a good start to the 2017 season.
“The preseason training has already began and that is what we are focusing on now. All the new signings have reported to training. Once we are off to a good start we can find ways of maintaining a good run but a poor start will only throw the club into unnecessary panic and we don’t want that. We want to do things differently this year,” he told KPL’s news portal.
