Gor Mahia old boy strikes as record champions drop points against manager-less Bandari

Gor Mahia’s winless run in the FKF Premier League extended to a third game after letting a lead slip to settle for a 1-1 draw with manager-less Bandari at Mbaraki Sports Grounds on Friday, 12 December.

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K’Ogalo, days removed from losing to their arch-rivals AFC Leopards last weekend, were left disappointed once again, as they failed to translate a first-half lead to a win, all this despite playing against a Bandari side that had sacked their manager a day to the game.

Things looked to be going Gor Mahia's way 31 minutes into the game when Ghanaian midfielder Ebenzer Adukwaw tapped in from close range, only for their youth team graduate Geoffrey Ojunga to come off the bench with a second half equalizer, piling more pressure on head coach Charles Akonnor, whose side is yet to win since scraping its way past Tusker on 15 November.

The build-up to the game had been dominated by the weight of Gor Mahia's expected response to their uncharacteristic wobble, before Bandari forced their way into it by pulling its plug on club officials, plus former head coach Mohamed Borji, who had only been in charge for eight games.

Fairly criticized for his fielding in the painful Mashemeji Derby, Akonnor reinstated Harambee Stars midfielder Alpha Onyango for the coastal test, but was still left scratching his head over how his side again failed to impose themselves on their opposition.

After a cagy first 10 minutes, Gor Mahia, backed by their loud travelling support, threatened to take the lead through Shariff Musa, only for his shot to go over Allaine Ngeleka's bar.

Bandari, under interim manager Razak Siwa, resulted to quick counter attacks, and came close to throwing a haymaker when Amza Moubarak tested Bryne Odhiambo.

It was Gor, however, who took the lead just minutes after a short cooling break, when Musa hustled off Andrew Juma on the left-hand side, before teeing up Adukwaw to slot into an empty net.

The Ghanaian, off a lackluster showing against Ingwe, nearly made it two for K'Ogalo two minutes later, but wasted his run into the box to cross into no-man's land.

The second-half then saw Siwa play out his luck as he brought on Ojunga for young Izzadin Ramadhan, and the shuffle did not take long to bear fruit.

The sequence for the 57th minute equalizer came from a free-kick on the left, which Hassan Abdallah whipped to the head of Ojunga to whistle past Odhiambo.

Having been nurtured by Gor, Ojunga made the goal more painful as it was his second season in a row to score past the men in green while playing down in the coast.

The former Sofapaka man, oozing with confidence, had another chance to add to his tally, but shot wide two minutes later, before scooping to Odhiambo after a pass from Moubarak in the 70th minute.

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Subdued Gor Mahia, on the other hand, dug deeper into their bench, introducing Patrick Essombe and Ben Stanley, but could not find a way to get the winner.

Musa, just like against AFC Leopards, left fans with hands over their heads after failing to get a last-minute goal, this time watching an Essombe cross get past him at the back-post.

The result, in spite of it being disappointing on face value, took the visitors top of the table with 20 points, while Bandari gladly took home a point to get their tally to 13.

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