AFC Leopards skipper Robinson Kamura has maintained they will continue to fight for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title despite losing to Tusker FC on Sunday.
Ingwe watched helplessly as their recent winning streak of three matches was brought to a halt when Timothy Otieno scored for the Brewers to secure a 1-0 win at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru.
Despite lying sixth on the log with 34 points, 10 behind leaders Gor Mahia, Kamura has maintained they are still in the race for the title and will fight until the final day.
“Our target today (Sunday) was to get the three points to leapfrog Ulinzi Stars because they drew on Saturday but we got punished because of one mistake and Tusker carried the day,” Kamura told reporters after the match.
“Looking at the team, we are pushing ourselves very hard, we are fighting to get the best for the team and today’s defeat is a huge setback because a win could have pushed us above Ulinzi.
"The league has started to take shape and we still have several matches to play and the title is still wide open, we still have more points to play for and as much as we are number six, we still have the chance and we know the teams above us will also drop points.”
Ingwe had a great chance to get a draw in the fixture when they were awarded a penalty but striker Elvis Rupia saw his kick saved by Tusker keeper Robert Mboya.
On the penalty miss, Kamura said: “Maybe we could have managed a draw had we scored the kick but it is normal, to miss from the spot. I cannot blame [Rupia] for the miss, he is new in the club and he has also been scoring penalties and missing was not a big mistake.
“I don’t want to blame him [Rupia] for the miss, a penalty can go either way.”
On FKF Shield Cup, Kamura explained: “AFC Leopards will fight to win the Shield because it gives us another route to continental football, we will fight and give our best in the competition and make sure we play in Caf competition next season.”
The win enabled Tusker to move to second on the 17-team table with 42 points, displacing Kakamega Homeboyz who dropped points in Mombasa after a 1-1 draw against Bandari on Saturday.