Tuesday, May 8

KEYHOLE PEEP INTO WEEK 10


The 2012 FKF Division One league is quickly approaching the halfway mark.

The league started on a high note,given the number of goals scored in the first month,but seems to be slowing down as teams organize themselves into serious contention for the single slot to the league of hard knocks,the premier.

The first three weeks of March and early April had some of the most lopsided matches,filled with astronomical scores.Kariobangi Sharks had the most en route to offering themselves at the apex for early target practice.It paid off, and they are currently perched at the top with 30 points,though an arm's length from second placed Mahakama who are only one and a half games behind,and Bandari,who are two games behind.
Mathare Youth,Magongo Rangers and Coast United are placed bottom,all with more than ten games behind the leader,but still with a realistic but,minimal, chance at promotion next year.

Winners and Losers
Three of the league leaders have not lost a game at home.These are leaders Kariobangi Sharks,Mombasa's Bandari and the Ligi Ndogo Planets.Fifth placed Admiral and Green Berets also have a well protected backyard .Sharks have dropped only six points all season,three draws and one loss.All their lost points were on the road.

Nairobi Stima are placed mid table at tenth,but they are the only team that has not lost on the road.They have however dropped one of their 11 matches at home,a 3-2 shocker by Administration Police in their fourth match of the season.
Kariobangi Sharks
The Sharks started the league in a sprint.By their fifth game they had hit 15,a goal more than what the two bottom teams have scored to date,in all their games (22) combined. The Sharks have scored 2.07 goals per game,a huge contribution to the league average of 1.13 goals per game.They also lead the league in the number of goals scored.They are unequaled-at 19 and 27 in total- for the most goals scored at home.

Iron Strikers have conceded the most goals,17, most of which were at the start of the season.A sudden rise has seen that drop to only one goal in the last four matches, en route to a  four game winning streak.

Before MOYAS lost 2-0 to the Ligi Ndogo Planets,they had run the longest winning streak  to five,at home and away.Administration Police ran a similar mark but was cut short three weeks earlier when they drew away to Magongo Rangers.
The leading Sharks have the longest winning streak at home, an uninterrupted seven game run.
While the Sharks were doing their thing at home,Moyas quietly built a run of their own to an impressive five games.

Nairobi Stima have the most draws in a row.From 8th to 28 of April,they tied Congo,Sharks and Berets.
Coast United are third from bottom and have lost five matches in a row,the most by any team.

Still on a Rock
Last year in the FKL Nationwide league,Mathare Youth ran a three match loosing streak,from 5 November 2011 to 13th November 2011 and between 27th November to 10th March 2012.
Mathare have equaled their loosing streak of three matches in a torrid three week spell that started on 24th April to 6th of May,worsened by a 2-1 lose to Admiral,in one of Admiral's two wins on the road.With more than 27 matches to play and 27 points lost,Mathare should be the firmest believers in heuristics and comeback tales,in order to compete.Still they can,if they can win protect their backyard.In 11 matches played,Mathare Youth are the only team yet to win a game at home.

Nairobi Stima had the most number of  draws last season (15) in the KPL Nationwide league.They have tied after every three matches this season and now stand highest at 7.Bidco have tied five times and ran the most consecutive ties in a row at four last season (FKL Nationwide).

While Sharks were putting together a home record,KRA were doing a winning of their own on the road.They won eleven points,the highest by any team this far.In a league where home teams win the most games,K.R.A (alongside,aforementioned Mathare) can transmogrify into serious title contenders,if they put together a solid home record.They have lost three at home and shown inconsistency,loosing after every two matches.
Kibera Celtic,meanwhile, were also moving in the opposite direction,loosing five,the most, in a row.After tightening managment styles,they have picked up some winning ways.At three games won,and a draw,they made the biggest move,in the last month,from last to 15th on the log.

At three,seven teams,tie for the most number of draws at home.Bidco and Stima have forced the most number of ties on the road (4).
Admiral at,fifth are still a team to be wary of.They have scored the most goals on the road (10) but are fifth because they have conceded more (15) than the teams ahead of them.
Green Berets and Magongo Rangers have scored the least number of goals while playing at their homeground;only three goals each.Mathare Youth have earned the least number of points at home.They tied 0-0 with Kibera Celtic for it. That compares unfavorably with K Sharks who have earned 21 points at home.

At 11,KRA have earned the most points on the road while Kibera Celtic have had the least points on the road (only one),en route to losing the most games on the road,five.Mathare Youth have lost five games at home,the most by any team.
The Green Berets have conceded only one goal,playing at home,in all matches,a total of twelve matches.
Iron Strikers soaked six goals on 10th of March this year playing at Bandari in the most goals scored and conceded in an away match.
In its recent tour of Nairobi,Magongo Rangers lost 3-1 and 3-0 for the most goals conceded in a weekend of two games.

Total number of Goals
261 goals have been scored so far in the league's 10 weeks.The top ten teams have scored 160 goals while the bottom ten have soaked up 156 (sorry Stima,you contribute both ways because you are in the middle!).
The bottom ten teams are one match shy of the total number of games won by the top four teams.They have won in total 28 games.The top four teams have won 29.
81is the total number of matches won and lost and 68 draws.There are still more than 81points to play for.

Still a long way to Tipperary!