UPL: Tax Collectors, Tooro United seek first win in six

Shafic Kiyaga

Mandela National Stadium, Namboole will be the battleground as Uganda Revenue Authority Football Club (URA FC) and Tooro United search for their first league win in six games.

URA’s last win was the 1-0 victory over new comers Ndejje University on game week three while Tooro United’s last and only win this campaign came against BUL Bidco in Jinja.

On the last match day, URA played to a goalless draw at home against Police FC – their fourth consecutive draw while Tooro United drew 2-2 against SC Villa at Buhinga Stadium in Fort Portal.

URA’s Sam Ssimbwa has been known as the coach that always gets the job done as far as results are concerned, but he could have hit the stall button ever since he joined the tax collectors last season registering just three wins from 12 games.

But, Ssimbwa has partly brought back the fear factor at URA as he is still unbeaten ever since he took over at the club – the club had lost four of the last eight before he took over and was languishing just above the relegation zone.

URA however boast the best defensive record this season conceding just one goal this campaign and three since he took over but finding the back of the net is what separates them from the best in the league. The team has scored a joint league low four goals so far. And it is not the approach to games that is costing them but rather the inability to take chances in games they have really outplayed and dominated their opponents.

Ssimbwa will be scavenging for ways of getting his strikers firing, heading into this game. The chances have been created but squandered either by naivety or poor quality finishing.

Shafik Kagimu and Saidi Kyeyune have both missed penalties that should have won games against Police and Nyamityobora while Peter Lwasa has been victim of either selfishness or poor decision making when faced with clear cut chances.

So much has Ssimbwa been frustrated with the lack of goals in the team that he questioned his players’ attitude recently ‘stating that the team attitude is so poor and that they cannot score goals with that despite the chances they create.’

Tooro United also have their fair share of problems. They have been poor on the road as they have not won away from home since the 1-0 victory over Bidco on match day 2.

The club has failed to win any of their next six games drawing thrice and losing thrice during that run. Wasswa will be concerned with the team’s failure to get results even when they seem to be the dominant side.

“Teams have found it easy to pick results off us because of our lapse in concentration especially at crucial times”. Bbosa said before the game.

URA will need to register a win pretty soon before their next set of fixtures which include games against four of the five teams currently in the top five places.

This is always a close to call fixture as both teams have won three games apiece with both games ending with 1-0 wins for either sides last season. There have been four draws overall with 3 of them ending goalless.

Both teams are quite shy in front of goal but URA defensive record gives them a bit of insurance to venture forward more and Ssimbwa will be hoping his forwards have carried their scoring touch this time round.