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Mathare United Women craving for more despite sealing early promotion
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 20.04.26. | 13:42
With the ticket to the top-tier in the bag, Mathare are firmly focused on winning the remaining matches
Mathare United Women FC made light work of Gitothua Starlets last Saturday, to earn their way back into the FKF Women’s Premier League (WPL) with a massive six games in hand, a clear testament to their dominance in the women’s second tier.
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Mathare, who narrowly missed out on promotion last season due to goal difference, have been nothing but overwhelming to opponents in the WNSL Zone A, and winger Veronicah Nyambura, a key piece on coach Anne Aluoch’s textbook execution of this season, says the plan was simple: win every possible match.
‘’We understand how painful it is to miss out on promotion and it’s even more painful when it is on goal difference. We have been through that and when it happened, however hard it was to take, we had to take it in and get back to work. Luckily for us, we have a well-structured team in the way of management, and they talked us through that period and assured us that they’ll stand by us as we try again,’’ says the lethal winger.
Knowing they could seal promotion on Saturday with the league still on, United went ahead through Faith Ochieng in the 28th minute, a lead later doubled by Jerrine Adhiambo just before the halftime interval.
Nyambura would see red after an altercation with a fan before the break and Mathare’s 2-0 lead suddenly seemed under threat.
Her teammates, however, held on for the dear win, adding a third in fact through Idah Odhiambo at the death. Nyambura says it was all in the heat of the moment and duly apologises to her teammates.
‘’Tempers were high and I got caught up in the heat of the moment. That’s what occasioned the red card. I am deeply sorry for my teammates because they didn’t have to play one person less in the second half. Sometimes these things happen but that is no excuse and I take full responsibility,’’ she continues.
United aren’t done with the league yet, despite already being assured of its title at the end of the campaign.
A side ruthless throughout the campaign, Aluoch’s charges want to win the rest of the games even if they won’t count much in the promotion chase.
The highest possible points tally is what Nyambura and company are going for.
‘’We aren’t finished. Promotion is sealed, but we are a professional team and proud too, so we intend to finish with the highest possible number of points, set a record perhaps along the way. It’s all about character and as we return to the top, we want this to be our driving force because when we were relegated, we lacked character,’’ adds the number 17.
The Women’s Premier League is not yet decided at the top, with Kenya Police Bullets leading but only two points above Ulinzi Starlets with four matches to close the season.
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At the bottom, Kisumu duo of Kisumu All Starlets and KISPED Queens’ fates seem sealed.
Sides that are well into negative points, the duo will drop into the second tier at the end of the campaign.
Mathare takes one of these slots and Nyambura believes they come back up a different side.
‘’We have learnt the hard way. Five seasons away from top-flight football is something and I’m glad we took enough time to build. We come back as a very confident team and we shouldn’t be underrated. My prayer is that we remain just as intact and free from injury as the season ends,’’ she concludes.
Kayole Starlet, who beat United to promotion into the WPL last season, have themselves managed to have a splendid first season at the top and sit a comfortable seventh way above the drop zone.