Akhulia provides remedy to Bidco conceding late in games

Bidco United head coach Anthony Akhulia has laid bare the measures his side must take to arrest their worrying habit of conceding late in matches, a trend that continues to undermine their fight for survival in the FKF Premier League.

The Thika-based outfit have repeatedly found themselves surrendering points in the dying moments of games, a pattern that once again came to the fore in their 1–1 draw with defending champions Kenya Police FC.

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Speaking to Azam TV in a post-match interview following Monday’s clash at Police Sacco Stadium, Akhulia admitted that a lack of belief at critical moments has been central to Bidco’s struggles, insisting that a long-awaited win could be the turning point.

In the only FKF-PL fixture staged on Monday, 2 February, Bidco appeared on course for a famous victory after Victor Kunyili fired them ahead five minutes from time.

The attacker pounced on a rare miscommunication in the Police backline to calmly slot past goalkeeper Job Ochieng.

However, just as Bidco looked set to finally taste victory, they were undone at the death.

Burkina Faso international Yves Kuotiama burst through the Bidco defence before cleverly lifting the ball past the onrushing Issa Emuria to snatch a dramatic equaliser for the Law Enforcers.

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The result marked the third consecutive occasion Bidco have dropped points after taking the lead late in matches.

On 18 January, they fell 2–1 to high-flying Murang’a Seal after conceding in the 87th minute from Jackson Imbiakha's strike, while a week later they suffered a similar fate against Gor Mahia.

In that encounter, Bidco took a deserved lead midway through the first half, only to succumb to sustained pressure, conceding shortly after the hour mark from Ebenezer Assifuah's effort and again deep into stoppage time from Paul Ochuoga's rooftop strike.

Akhulia maintained that his side’s tactical approach has largely been sound, but admitted that lapses in concentration during the closing stages have proved costly.

“Tactically, we were right to block spaces and force them to play balls behind our backline, which the goalkeeper was collecting.

But conceding in the last minutes has cost us against Murang’a, Gor Mahia and now Kenya Police. We are scoring goals, but we are not getting it right defensively at the end of matches, and that is a major concern," Akhulia said.

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The Bidco tactician further suggested that fear of losing matches has crept into his players’ mindset, affecting their composure when protecting narrow leads.

“I think it is the fear of losing the match. Once we get a win, our confidence will improve, and we will keep dropping points at the death,” he added.

While the draw halted Bidco’s run of back-to-back defeats, it extended their winless streak to 14 matches, with their last victory coming in October 2025 when they defeated Ulinzi Stars 2-1 at Ulinzi Sports Complex.