KCB hammer hapless Vihiga Bullets

KCB Sunday registered a fourth consecutive league win after defeating visiting Vihiga Bullets 3-1 at the Utalii grounds in the sole Football Kenya Federation Premier League match.

James Mazembe opened the scoring in the 24th minute with his third goal of the season, before setting up Michael Mutinda to double the bankers' lead five minutes to the break.

The home team team put the match beyond the visitors after the breather with Derrick Otanga striking in the 67th minute, before Kevin Sagida grabbed a consolation goal for the visitors in the 90th minute.

The win saw KCB rising from eighth place to dislodge Gor Mahia in third place on goal difference with the two teams tied on 14 points.

The result condemned Vihiga Bullets to a sixth consecutive loss that leaves them rooted at the bottom of the table with just one point.

KCB coach Zedekiah Otieno praised his team for another good performance, despite acknowledging they would have scored more goals.

"In football you have to take your chances and today we managed to make three chances count from the many that we created and that made the difference," he said.

"We had expected a hard game and I am happy that this win keeps us on course to ensure we complete the season with more points than we got last season," he added.

Vihiga Bullets coach Abdalla Juma took positives from his team's performance.

"Despite losing today, I am impressed with how we played. Of course, the result would have been better for us if our goalkeeper had been more alert, but we can only pick lessons that will help us move forward," Juma, who replaced Evans Mafuta one month ago, said.

The bankers, who had not scored more than twice in a match this season, found the going easy from the start against a team clearly suffering from a lack of confidence.

Henry Onyango would have put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute, but shot narrowly wide of beaten Richard Aimo's goal.

The forward almost made amends one minute later, but his accurate low cross to James Mazembe was skied over the bar by the former Kariobangi Sharks winger.

However, Mazembe made no mistake in 24th minute when he bundled the ball over the line after Aimo, who was having a horrible afternoon, spilled a Simon Munala cross from the right wing.

Mazembe's goal seemed to have woken up Vigiga Bullets who raided KCB's goal in search of their first away goal in the top flight.

Lucky Musyoki was involved on both occasions as he first crossed the ball to Patrick Onganya, who headed narrowly wide of Gabriel Andika's goal in the 27th minute, before the dread-locked goalkeeper parried his lob out for a corner after Musyoki had caught the KCB defence napping in the 32nd minute.

Infuriated by Vihiga's daring approaches, the bankers charged forward and had the ball in the net in the 38th minute after the silent Otanga tapped in Munala's cross, but, assistant referee Hellen Njambi raised the offside flag.

The bankers were not to be denied two minutes when Michael Mutinda fired an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box to compound Aimo's horrible afternoon.

The former Chemelil Sugar goalkeeper launched a poor restart that was intercepted by the hardworking Munala, who fed the ball to Henry Onyango.

Henry Onyango then initiated an intricate passing move that culminated in Mazembe squaring the ball to Mutinda, who teed himself up before blasting the ball into the net on the volley.

Mutinda's goal convinced Vihiga coach Abdalla Juma to replace the error-probe Aimo with Billy Bukhala after the halftime break.

The vocal Bukhala justified his coach's decisions as he made saves from Henry Onyango, Munala, and Brian Njenga to keep the score at a respectable 2-0, before Otanga broke his resistance in the 67th minute.

The former Wazito man received a pass from Henry Onyango inside the box then rifled the ball to the roof of the net with inert Vihiga making no serious effort to stop him.

With the result all but assured, KCB coach Zedekiah Otieno immediately rested Munala and Njenga for Mohammed Kilume and Michael Oduor, as Juma brought on Jessy Kajuba and Kevin Sagida for Patrick Onganya and Michael Isabwa in a bid to improve his fortunes.

Sagida justified his inclusion when he controlled a pass from Nickson Khalwale, before putting the ball beyond Andika to score Vihiga's first ever away goal in the top flight.

The consolation goal came two minutes after Bukhala had excellently denied David Owino from long range and, it proved to be the last meaningful action of the game.