Ingwe turned on a high gear that drove them to a respectable position after dangerously wallowing around the chop zones.
AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda believes his team has narrowed the gap between them and the leading sides in the country and it will not be long before they start challenging them.
Leopards are currently sixth on the FKF Premier League log with 47 points, 20 behind champions Gor Mahia, and nine adrift of second placed Tusker, the two sides that have shared the last 14 titles.
While the gap still looks big, Shikanda says his team is now closer to dislodging them following improvements made in recent months, especially this year when they have been one of the form teams in the division.
13:35 - 27.05.2024
AFC Leopards explain why they honoured abandoned FKF Cup tie despite threats to boycott the match
AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has given reasons why his team turned up to play the remainder of the FKF Cup semi-final against Kenya Police having threatened a boycott.
“We have been trying to build something but football has its ups and downs. You do not know what will happen tomorrow in terms of where we are and we don’t know whether we will leverage from what we have built,” said Shikanda.
“Where we are as AFC Leopards, we have bridged all those gaps that have been there with the leading teams like Tusker, Gor Mahia.
“Even the match against Kenya Police [FKF semi-final] was one-sided and if it ended yesterday [Sunday] I don’t think we could have had this result.”
13:10 - 27.05.2024
FKF Cup: Heartbreak for AFC Leopards as Kenya Police hold their own to seal final against KCB
AFC Leopards made to rue missed chances as Kenya Police seal maiden FKF Cup appearance place.
It is a bold statement from Shikanda whose side has flattered to deceive in recent seasons as Gor Mahia and Tusker continue winning titles.
Ingwe are still waiting for a first league title since 1998 and have been let down by a number of poor decisions in the boardroom that have seen a scattergun approach to transfers while coaches have been hired and fired at the slightest sign of trouble.
Meanwhile, Gor Mahia and Tusker seem to be getting it better and have also enjoyed some stability in the dugout.
12:04 - 25.05.2024
‘Gor Mahia is calling’ - Fans urge ex-Liverpool striker to join K’Ogalo as he looks for new club
Kenyan fans have called on the unwanted AC Milan striker to consider signing for Gor Mahia even as clubs in Europe, America, and Middle East monitor his situation.
Ingwe are set to finish their seventh straight season without a trophy after losing the FKF Cup semi-final to Kenya Police and there are already murmurs of discontent over coach Tomas Trucha, who arrived in October, and helped lift the team from near the relegation zone to the top six.