Mathare United head coach Francis Kimanzi. Photo/RAYMOND MAKHAYA
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 23- Mathare United head coach Francis Kimanzi has issued a rallying call to his players to dig deeper into their energy reserves in the remaining eight games of the season as they look to save themselves from the imminent face of relegation.
Mathare slumped to their third consecutive loss, going down 1-0 to Ulinzi Stars on an evening they threw everything into the field but were never lucky to get the ball behind the net.
“I think it is time we have to fight for the name of the club because we are not in a good place. The motivation of knowing where we are and where we might head and where we want to be is enough to drive these boys for the remaining part of the season,” a dejected Kimanzi told Capital Sport after the final whistle.
Oscar Wamalwa headed home the only goal of the match in the 11th minute and Ulinzi boss Benjamin Nyangweso admitted after the game that his side was lucky to get off with the three points with Mathare aving exerted pressure.
Ulinzi Stars’ Oscar Wamalwa against Mathare United’s Lennox Ogutu. Photo/RAYMOND MAKHAYA
Kimanzi blamed the loss on his side’s slow start to the game and wants them to work on that before facing AFC Leopards on Wednesday at Kasarani.
“We took too long to get into the match and Ulinzi got their goal. Had we started same way we ended, probably things would have been different for us,” the tactician noted.
The lanky Wamalwa, who put in a shift for the soldiers throughout the match, broke the deadlock in the 11th minute when he glanced home unmarked after detaching himself from his marker to meet up a Samuel Onyango cross from the left.
Ulinzi Stars’ Cliff Kasuti dribbles past Mathare United’S Victor Ashinga and John Mwangi. Photo/RAYMOND MAKHAYA
Mathare had asked the first questions in the match with John ‘Mavado’ Mwangi striking a volley from the edge of the box which was well handled by James Saruni in the Ulinzi goal. The soldiers had calmed the game down but Mathare were not willing to play down.
In the 28th minute, the Slum Boys had the best chance of the first half but Chris Ochieng tapped the ball over from close range under pressure from Oliver Rutto.
Ulinzi failed to comprehensively clear away a cross from David ‘Messi’ Owino who had a blinder of a match playing at left back. Cliff Nyakeya picked the loose ball inside the box, toe poked it to Ochieng at the back post but there was no celebration at the end of it.
The tie continued to be dominated by Mathare but they couldn’t master a way past a stonewall Ulinzi defense and the minimal times they did, Saruni had it all well covered.
-Second half-
Ulinzi Stars head coach Benjamin Nyangweso giving instructions. Photo/RAYMOND MAKHAYA
In the second half, Mathare injected some pace and two minutes in, Brian Birgen was forced to clear the ball off the line after George Owino’s header off a corner from the right skipped past Saruni.
Ten minutes later, lack of communication almost cost Ulinzi the equalizer when Mohammed Hassan almost headed the ball into his own goal in an attempt to pass it back to Saruni.
Mathare kept on knocking, winning set pieces and floating in the balls but nothing was coming up for them. On the opposite end, Ulinzi had few chances and far in between. In the 72nd minute, Cliff Kasuti had a volley from the edge of the box go way over.
With 10 minutes remaining, Ulinzi boss Nyangweso went defensive in a bid to secure the win, bringing off Kasuti for defensive midfielder Bernard Ongoma. Despite Mathare piling in the pressure, the soldiers managed to hold on to the slim advantage.
