SHARP CORNER: Can league leaders Villa contain the fiery chasing pack of KCCA and Vipers?

Next league game

30/03/18 Proline vs SC Villa, 4:00pm

Lugogo

By Denis West

The Uganda Premier League has surely entered into the business point with nine matches left to play.

Log leaders SC Villa are trying to prove they have the markings of champions whilst second placed SC Vipers are ready to spit all the venom left in their duct to earn a third league title this season.

Like the Saturday Caf Champions League triumph over St George showed, third placed KCCA, also the reigning league kings, still have gas in their tank to reclaim the trophy for a third consecutive time.

Villa’s past promising league campaigns have been damningly brought down by self destruction, players absconding on duty, managerial changes and complacency which are many not be visible of late at Villa Park – at least at the moment.

Even when the talk of delayed pay is still rife in the Villa camp, there seems to be a uniting factor that pushes the boys to fight for the trophy rather than focus much on the monetary angle.

Coach Wasswa Bbosa and deputy Paul Mukatabala are renowned man managers and motivators who would cajole any demoralized player to fight on because the ‘better things lie ahead.’

Many had anticipated Villa to lose key players in the January transfer window after the Chan tourney and with KCCA beefing up to continental engagement but they only lost defender Ibrahim Kiyemba to South Africa and temperamental left winger Vitalis Tabu who is now clubless.

In fact Villa reinforced with the triple signings of Yusuf Wasswa, Davis Kasirye and Arthur Kigundu although their impact is yet to be heavily felt.

The coaching partnership of Bbosa and Mukatabala, reincarnated from their budding coaching days at Victors, was viewed by many pundits as a game changer when Villa president Ben Misagga unveiled them and they have not disappointed yet.

Yet the actual answer to whether they can guide Villa to a 17^th league trophy lies in the matches left to play rather than what they have managed to accomplish yet.

Villa has lost twice so far – against Vipers at St Mary’s Kitende Stadium and KCCA at StarTimes Stadium Lugogo – and has managed to keep the home virginity to date.

Simply put, Villa can dream of maximum points from all the sides they are to face at Masaka Recreation Ground and hope for improved results in away matches.

Beating Onduparaka 1-0 at the dreaded Green Light Stadium in Arua recently can be a tonic boost to their away blues and also impart belief into the players that wins over other remaining ‘tough’ opponents Vipers and Express, are very much possible.

Uncharacteristically, Villa’s match preps are top notch these days and Misagga has stopped interfering in team selection and sacking coaches like he owns a herd of tacticians to choose from at will.

Villa’s title chances will also be determined by how Vipers and KCCA perform henceforth and when they finally meet at Kitende later in the season.

Their main undoing has been scoring goals regularly and in abundance in the same manner they did back in the early 2000s when they had proven strikers like Hassan Mubiru and Andrew Mukasa but they will find solace in midfielders Martin Kizza, Allan Kyambadde and Ambrose Kirya trying to supplement the little goals their blunt striking force of Alex Kitatta, Yubu Bogere, Kasirye and George Ssenkaaba can offer.

At 22 goals, Villa have scored eight less of KCCA’s 30 and three short of Vipers’ 25 but their consolation comes in the goals conceded.

Villa has leaked in the least number of goals in the league – eight, followed by KCCA’s nine whilst Vipers has conceded 12. This brings out the Jogoos’ other source of inspiration – a defence that concedes an average of 0.5 goals per game. Interestingly, they are also competently riding in the Uganda Cup and having been double winners many times before, you guess they know which platform to give priority – league or cup.

Villa fans will ultimately be delighted to achieve a double the following year after their archrivals KCCA had got their first taste of it.

Bar injuries and a surprise of gargantuan proportions, Villa seems to be on a smooth flow to a long awaited league glory.

How Villa has fared in the Uganda premier League so far

12/09/17 SC Villa 1 – 0 Soana

16/09/17 Police 1 – 1 SC Villa

23/09/17 Vipers 1 – 0 SC Villa

27/09/17 SC Villa 1 – 0 Mbarara City

14/10/17 SC Villa 2 – 0 UPDF

18/10/17 Maroons 1 – 1 SC Villa

28/10/17 SC Villa 2 – 1 KCCA

04/11/17 URA 0 – 0 SC Villa

15/11/17 BUL 0 – 1 SC Villa