Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla started on the bench as the FKF Premier League leaders maintained their unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory over second-placed Posta Rangers on Saturday.
Head coach Johnathan McKinstry raised eyebrows when he left the league’s leading scorer Omalla on the bench but K’Ogalo calmed their supporters’ nerves when Kennedy Onyango headed home the lone goal in the 39th minute.
The defender headed in after a good delivery from a corner by Alpha Onyango, connecting well with the ball at the back-post, to head in beyond goalkeeper Michael Wanjala.
The clash was billed as the highlight match of the weekend given it pitted the league’s top two sides with Gor Mahia heading into the game with a five-point lead over Posta Rangers but extended their lead to eight over the Mailmen.
Chances were few and far between in what was a cagey first half as Gor Mahia held on for a 1-0 lead at the break.
After the interval, McKinstry brought in Boniface Omondi for Patrick Sibomana with Ernest Wendo going off for Lawrence Juma but there were no further goals in the contest.
Another double substitution was made after 64 minutes when Omalla came on for Bryson Wangai while Patrick Kaddu was replaced by his Ugandan compatriot Rogers Mugisha in an attempt to add some spark in attack.
However, the scores remained 1-0 as neither side yielded in defense with Gor Mahia walking away with all three points which leaves them on 37 points from 17 matches.
Defeat saw Posta Rangers lose second spot to Nairobi City Stars who won a sixth straight game after hammering FC Talanta 3-0 to take their tally to 37, seven behind.