Gaspo looking to seal void left by national team quartet

With forward Mercy Airo, alongside midfielders Corazone Aquino and Sheril Angachi as well as shot-stopper Judith Osimbo currently held up with the national team, Women Premier League (WPL) zone A side Gaspo are working to ensure the said players' absence is not felt when the league resumes. 

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on Tuesday released fixtures indicating that the WPL will resume on May 22 and Gaspo will be in action on May 23, away to Kibera Ladies as their campaign for a playoff slot is revived. 

Before the league was suspended following a presidential directive for all sporting activities to be halted in the wake of increased Covid-19 positive cases, Gapso had amassed 19 points from ten matches. 

Gaspo, who has a slow start in the league, losing their first two opening matches, had managed six wins and one draw to place third, two points behind second-placed Ulinzi Starlets who have so far won seven of their ten matches for 21 points. Thika Queens are at the helm of the zone A standings at 30 points after their ten-match unbeaten run. 

" We have engaged the players in a couple of friendly matches, the latest being against Gitothua Starlets as we look to gauge players' fitness level. It will not be easy when the resume but at least the players have kept active during this suspension," said Gaspo team manager Edward Githua. 

"We have the four players currently with the national team but that will not affect our game. Luckily we have a big pool of talent that offers us depth. As such, the players who have been previously benched because the four are available for club duty now get a chance to prove themselves. We also have youngsters like Kinari Girls' Emily Andayi who we will be deploying in attack," he added. 

The released fixture indicates that the league will go on a three-week break after the May 30 fixtures, making a return on June 19 for the two remaining rounds set to be played on June 19 and 23 to determine the playoff entrants.

With the league having reverted to the zonal format in 2020, the top three teams in each zone head to a playoff, with the top team in each zone given a bye to the second round of playoffs.