Hospital staff cum Elim midfielder confident of beating Shabana Starlets to boost promotion hopes
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Reading Time: 4min | Thu. 23.04.26. | 15:09
The match day 15 face-off promises edge of the seat action
Shabana Starlets FC ascended to the top of the Zone B Women’s National Super League (WNSL) at the expense of Trans Nzoia Elim White Ladies from Kitale after dispatching Iron Ladies 2-0 over the weekend, a result that heightens the chase for the automatic promotion slot between the two Zone B giants.
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Shabana, who remain undefeated in the league, are now just two points above Elim, who will be content to take up the number two slot with eight matches remaining before the season closes.
The recent happenings in the division could not get any tastier as the two face off next when the league returns. Everything points to an epic encounter, and Elim midfielder Sharon Mato knows this.
"We are not afraid of anyone. Any team in the league is beatable, and as a club, our sole focus throughout the campaign has been to earn direct promotion into the Premier League.
That has not changed one single bit, and everyone in our camp understands the assignment very clearly," declares Mato.
Elim have lost twice in the league but drawn just once and won eleven times - the same number of wins as their next opponents, Shabana, who, for their 11 victories so far, have been held to three draws. Mato says her side has never been more motivated to perform as they are now.
"Everyone is putting in the work because eight matches are a lot, and many things can change in between. The management has kept us on toes, and the coaches, too, keep on burning the midnight oil for a strategy to get us back on top," she continues.
Mato, a seasoned midfielder who first started out with former Premier League side Trans Nzoia Falcons in 2019 after completing high school at footballing powerhouses Wiyeta Girls, yearns for a return to the top flight and holds a firm belief that this could be the season. It has been years since a team from Kitale played in the top flight.
"I have played at the top, and I know the kind of exposure it gives players. We really would want to go back. When I played for the Falcons, it wasn’t a lack of talent that saw the team dwindle.
We always have plenty of talent around here. Other factors away from the pitch occasioned that fall from grace," adds Mato, who, apart from playing football, works at the Wamalwa Kijana Referral Hospital.
As her work is demanding, she has to split her time during the day so as not to miss training and also get to complete her obligations at the hospital. A key starter for Elim, she says the two and a half hours she manages to get from training are enough to earn her match-day starts in the squad.
"I do work at the hospital as support staff, so I wake up as early as 5 am and get to work by 5:30 am. My first phase of work is always done by 9 am, and I head to training to at least stay in the coach’s plans for any match ahead.
It’s a tough balance, but I’m content with the way I manoeuvre through the hurdle," she continues.
The women’s game has failed most of the girls who aspire to pursue professional football in the country over a long period of time, and only a few manage to leave the country to pursue their dreams professionally.
Mato knew this from way back and did not just rely on the sport. She urges fellow footballers, especially in the lower divisions, to seek alternate sources of income so that they can always have something to fall back on if football fails.
"I urge footballers to think about life beyond football. Anything can happen, for example, Covid-19 came, and football had to stop momentarily. Get to do something on the side.
For us at Elim, we get something even if small after playing, and it is wise to invest. So, apart from football, you have something to fall back on. There are short courses like driving, mechanics, and beauty that one can qualify for," she concludes.
The match day 15 face-off between Elim White Ladies and Shabana Starlets promises to be the ultimate championship determiner, and with Shabana hosting at the Cardinal Otunga grounds, Mato and company will have to travel heavy and make away with at least a point to keep promotion chances alive.