Much like the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) title race, the battle for this season’s Golden Boot is drawing to a thrilling close.
The race has narrowed down to a contest of pace, poise and precision before goal. Ahead of Sunday's round of 32 matches, FC Talanta’s talismanic striker Emmanuel Osoro, and Kakamega Homeboyz’s hotshot Moses Shumah jointly lead the race with 16 goals.
Tusker’s striker Ryan Ogam is third with 15 goals followed by Bandari FC’s Beja Nyamawi and Shabana’s Byran Migiro who have scored 12 goals each. KCB’s Francis Kahiro is sixth in the scorers’ chart with 10 goals.
Kenya Police lead FKF-PL table of standings on 58 points, three more than second-placed Tusker. Defending champions Gor Mahia are third on 53 points, one more than fourth-placed Shabana.
With 20-year-old Ogam yet to resume playing, having been sidelined for more than a month after undergoing a minor surgery for a meniscus tear, all eyes are on Osoro, 19, and Shumah, 22, in the race for the Golden Boot award.
“Winning the Golden Boot is something that I have long dreamt of. It would be a key milestone in my life if I achieve it,” Osoro told Nation Sport on Saturday.
He is aiming to score four more goals to take his tally at the end of the season to 20 goals. Shumah said that while his goal is always to clinch the Golden Boot, he never set a specific number of goals to aim for.
“My target is always to be the top scorer. However, I never set a specific target of goals I want to score. I’m never under any pressure with regard to that, therefore I exploit myself fully,” Shumah told Nation Sport in a previous interview.
With Talanta flirting with relegation for the better part of this campaign, Osoro said extra training, eating the right food before matches and following the coach’s instruction have been behind his impressive performance. Having set himself a target of 15 goals this season, the Bukembe Boys High School alumnus admitted that he never expected to be a serious contender for the Golden Boot until when he hit 12 goals, just three behind Ogam and Shumah.
“After reaching 12 goals, it became possible that I could catch up with those who were leading with 15 goals. My teammates and coach (assistant coach Jackson Gatheru) started encouraging me to score more goals. The coach said that winning the Golden Boot will not only be a big achievement to myself but the team too,” said the former Nzoia Sugar man, adding that he does extra trainings three evenings a week - hitting the gym and ball work (sharpening is passing and shooting) with friends in his neighborhood, Mathare.
To maintain his energy level for matches, Osoro who began playing football in the dusty fields in Malaba, Busia County said he prefers ugali with omena and sukuma wiki or ugali served with beef. After honing his football skills at Malaba Giants Academy, Osoro stated taking football seriously as a student at Bukembe Boys High School, then local side Nzoia Sugar came calling.
The teenage striker joined Talanta this season and transitioned from playing as a winger to a striker on the advice of assistant coach Gatheru. The change, Osoro, said wasn’t easy.
“At first it (transitioning from winger to striker) was very tough. The coach told me that it would be easy if I adjust my mind. It was after I scored in five consecutive matches that I fully embraced the new role,” he said, revealing that his ultimate dream is to play for big clubs in Europe.
Admitting that the battle for the Golden Boot is fierce, the striker emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and concentration in the remaining matches. Manchester City’s midfielder Phil Fiden and Liverpool’s winger Mohamed Salah are his role models “owing to their impressive dribbling and passing skills.”
After going three consecutive matches without a goal, Homeboytz’s Shumah returned to the scoresheet in their 2- win over Police on Wednesday. He scored from the spot. The Laiser Hill Academy alumnus said his drive is fueled by the desire to earn a place in the Harambee Stars squad that will play in the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship, to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from August 2 to 30.
Avoiding pressure by focusing on self-improvement rather than competing with others, choosing not to set a specific goal target, strong teamwork, and dedicating more hours for individual training, the striker noted, are the other contributors to his impressive performance.
To remain sharp in front of the goal, Shumah said he has been putting in extra effort by having one to two additional hours of individual training, four days a week. During these sessions, the former Mombasa Elite man focuses on improving areas such as ball control and strength.
In the only FKF-PL match played on Saturday, Musa Masika’s 74th minute strike gave Mathare a 1-0 win over Ulinzi Stars at Dandora Stadium.
