Luyinda’s baptism of fire continues, demands response

John Luyinda has challenged his Vipers SC players to take responsibility for their poor finishing and learn from their recent setbacks after the defending champions suffered a second consecutive defeat in the Uganda Premier League.

Luyinda, popularly known as Ayala, believes Vipers have played well in their recent matches, but their inability to turn chances into goals is costing them valuable points.

“For the three games so far, we have played well, but we aren’t clinical enough with the chances created. We need to learn from this slip, and it’s within us to stop this from happening again,” he said.

His comments came after Vipers suffered a 1-0 defeat to URA FC at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, extending a difficult start to his second reign as head coach.

Moses Aliro scored the only goal in the 45th minute, leaving the Venoms with another frustrating afternoon after their identical defeat to Mbarara City in their previous outing.

Vipers had a chance to rescue a point late in the game when substitute Farouk Miya stepped up for a 12-yard penalty. However, URA goalkeeper Khassim Hafizi read the situation perfectly, saving the spot-kick to preserve his side’s lead.

It was another painful afternoon for Luyinda, who was promoted from assistant coach to replace Denis Lavagne. Having lost his first two matches in charge, both by 1-0 margins, the new coach is already facing the challenge of turning things around at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.

The defeat was also Vipers’ third in eight league matches, an uncomfortable position for a club accustomed to setting the pace. More worrying is that the Venoms have now gone more than 180 minutes without scoring, with their experienced attackers struggling to find their scoring touch.

The pressure is mounting. Vipers are eighth on the table with 11 points, eight behind early leaders BUL FC, leaving their title defence in danger of losing momentum barely eight matches into the campaign.

Back-to-back league defeats are particularly concerning for the defending champions, especially in the first round. At a club where coaches are expected to deliver immediately, Luyinda knows that patience may be in short supply.

His predecessor Lavagne was dismissed after a frustrating home draw, meaning the new coach has inherited a demanding job with little room for further slip-ups.

However, Luyinda is not ready to press the panic button. He insists there is still enough time to correct the mistakes and believes his players understand what needs to change.

“It was a tough match [against URA FC], but we need to keep going because there are more games in front of us and we want to do better. Everybody knows what we need to improve. We need to be up there at the table. We need to learn from this, and for sure we are going to be up there [at the end of the season],” he added.

Vipers must now turn those assurances into results when they host Lugazi FC at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende, on November 5.

The game offers Luyinda an immediate opportunity to stop the slide, but home advantage has not counted for much this season. The Venoms have won only once in four home matches, with Ntugasaze FC the only side they have managed to beat.

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