The Mailmen went into the game sitting a place below the drop zone, but a superb comeback enabled them to enhance their chances of playing in the top flight for next season.
Vincent Wasambo was the man who put Posta ahead with only two minutes played when he capitalized on a defensive lapse to punish the visiting side.
The Mailmen went into the half-time break with a 1-0 cushion and at the start of the second period, they missed a great chance to make it 2-0. They were forced to pay for the missed as Murang’a levelled matters courtesy of Joe Waithira in the 66th minute.
Michael Owen doubled Murang'a's lead in the 72nd minute to stun Posta, who had looked the better side. However, in the 88th minute, substitute Brian Marita found himself surging towards goal and he was brought down by Dennis Odhiambo with the referee pointing to the spot. Felix Oluoch made no mistake as he planted the resultant kick to the bottom right corner.
With the game heading to a 2-2 draw, Posta were not done yet. Marita stole the show after he struck home the winner in stoppage time to hand Posta their eighth victory of the campaign.
The win pushed Posta to 13th in the 18-team league table with 31 points from 28 matches. They have secured eight wins, seven draws and suffered 13 defeats. Meanwhile, Murang’a dropped to the relegation zone as they found themselves in 17th place with 26 points from 28 outings.
‘Pamzo’ calls for consistency to help beat the drop
According to ‘Pamzo’, who played for several clubs in the Kenyan Premier League including record champions Gor Mahia before hanging up his boots to venture into coaching, Posta’s win was a testament that they are determined to keep their status in the top-flight.
“From the onset, I knew it was going to be a difficult game, because both teams are fighting against relegation, and whoever won the game was to leave the relegation zone," 'Pamzo' told Flashscore.
"And it is impressive that we are the ones who won the game, and at least we can breathe now because we have hauled ourselves from the danger zone, and our focus now is to make sure we put up a fight and win the remaining matches."
The former Gor Mahia coach, however, admitted that Posta were not safe yet because if they lose any match and their fellow relegation strugglers win theirs, they will once again be sucked into the relegation dogfight.
After losing to Mathare United 3-2 on April 5th, the Mailmen have gone on to win their last two matches – 1-0 against AFC Leopards and now 3-2 against Murang’a Seal.
“It is very true (we are not completely safe), and it is something I am hoping and praying that it doesn’t happen, seeing us again dropping to the relegation zone, so what I am asking from my squad now is consistency. We managed to beat AFC Leopards, and now Murang’a Seal, so if we remain consistent in the remaining matches, then it will be good for us,” he explained.
“The only thing that makes me happy, we are not facing teams that are chasing for the title, we are done with title-chasing teams, but we are now playing against teams that are below us and slightly above us, and that makes it even easier for us to get the points that we need from the remaining matches.”
Speaking on the overall performance of Posta against Murang’a Seal, ‘Pamzo’ said: “I am very proud of how my players performed, because if you look at this game, there is a time we were 1-0 up, then they (Murang’a) came back, and levelled the scores, and then added another, and after that second goal, we became under pressure.
“The good thing is that my players did not give up, we kept attacking them, and got a penalty, which we scored to make it 2-2 and from there on, my players felt they can go on and win the game, and supported with subs we did, especially the arrival of Marita; it rejuvenated the team to get the third goal and three vital points.”
Posta have six matches remaining to conclude the season. They will have to face Kakamega Homeboyz in a rescheduled fixture, face Bidco United, take on Ulinzi Stars, confront Nairobi City Stars and host Sofapaka before playing their last fixture on June 22nd against Bandari in Mombasa.
Kenya Police back at the summit after KCB win
Meanwhile, Kenya Police assumed leadership of the table following a 2-1 victory against KCB on Saturday. The law enforcers went into the fixture knowing that a win of any kind would guarantee them a top spot awaiting Tusker’s outcome from their fixture against Mathare United on Sunday, April 27th.
The win enabled Police to register their 14th win of the campaign and move top with 52 points from 28 outings. They have managed 14 wins, 10 draws and suffered four defeats. They are one point ahead of the Brewers.
Meanwhile, KCB kept their sixth position with 41 points accumulated from 10 wins, 11 draws and seven defeats. In another match at Dandora Stadium, Shabana maintained their push for the title following a deserved 2-0 victory against bottom-placed Nairobi City Stars.
AFC Leopards put aside their recent poor run of results to defeat Bidco United 3-1. Ingwe went into the fixture determined to get a win for their disappointed fans, and it took them only one minute to score through Raboama Kaloti.
Kaloti was at hand yet again to slot home the second in the eighth minute before Simon Abuko reduced the deficit for Bidco United. Ingwe grabbed the third in the 28th-minute courtesy of Kennedy Owino to register their 10th win of the season.
AFC Leopards are now fifth with 10 wins, 11 draws and seven defeats, while Bidco dropped to 16th, one place above the relegation zone, with 27 points accumulated from five wins, 12 draws and 11 defeats.
