Overview:
Kambale joined the Kitende-based side in the just-concluded transfer window. The forward’s arrival gave Venoms huge anticipations attached to his last season in the Uganda Premier League with Express FC.
Vipers SC head coach Leonard Neiva called upon the Venoms faithful to be patient with Eric Kenzo Kambale who made his debut against SC Villa on Friday.
Kambale joined the Kitende-based side in the just-concluded transfer window. The forward’s arrival gave Venoms huge anticipations attached to his last season in the Uganda Premier League with Express FC.
However, Kambale looked heavy and not as lethal as expected this is due to the lengthy time spent without playing competitive football.
In a post-match conference at St Mary’s Stadium – Kitende, Neiva revealed that Kambale is not yet at his best due to low fitness levels.
“Kambale just joined us and is not yet fully fit,” Neiva told the press. “He has only trained for three weeks unlike most of the players who had a pre-season session.
“Kambale is a good player who will give us more options upfront, he is good both with the aerial and ground balls and with time he will score many goals.
“I like his presence in the box and you can see that he gave SC Villa’s defenders a hard time. So, I call upon the fans to give him more time because it’s early to judge him.”
Kambale replaced Abubaker Lawal at the start of the second half. His best chance of the game came in the 70th minute after he was set up by Abdu Lumala but the Congolese forward failed to guide the ball into the net with a goalkeeper beaten.
Neiva pleased with the draw
While Vipers had several chances to kill the game in the second half, Neiva was pleased with the one-all draw noting it would have gone either side.
Vipers SC needed Patrick Mbowa’s late goal to salvage a point against SC Villa who took an early lead thanks to Gavin Kizito’s finish.
“I am happy with the result. It was a tough game and I am glad at least we picked a point because it would be worse if the visitors took all points,” Neiva noted.
“I commend my opponent (Villa) for the good game. They gave us a good challenge and I enjoyed the game. On another day, we would get more goals but in football, we keep learning and I am sure we shall keep improving,” he added.
The point takes Vipers to eight points garnered from four games. They will visit Bright Stars on Saturday, October 27 at Kavumba Recreational Centre in the Wakiso Derby.