.jpg)
NSL: Former Gor Mahia youth midfielder reveals tactics that ended MOFA’s unbeaten run
.jpg)
Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 14.10.25. | 14:16
Black Stars will hope to overcome all odds and secure automatic promotion to the top-tier this season
An on-form Michael Olunga Football Academy (MOFA) FC were on Sunday, 12th subdued by Kibera Black Stars FC courtesy of a first-half stoppage-time strike by midfielder Brian Odhiambo Abich.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
Battling out their round three FKF National Super League contest at the Hope Centre in Kawangware, the duo, each coming from victories in round two, locked horns in a gruelling opening forty-five that seemed to be headed for a stalemate.
However, Odhiambo, playing deep in coach Iddi Badi’s midfield, unleashed a long, strange thunderbolt that would settle the tie overall.
He says this calms nerves down a little.
‘’It is a huge relief to be honest. We have been working all week for it, putting in the shift through tough results amid all the noise around, but eventually have that first home win,’’ Odhiambo intimated after the match.
Former Kisumu All Stars coach Charles Bruno was on the opposing dugout and brought with him a team that has already laid bare its intentions for this season; winning their opening two matches only means they are going for it.
They would definitely prove hard to crack, and Odhiambo and his teammates knew this, even though they were playing in front of a home crowd.
‘’MOFA are a tough side this season. They are organised, they press hard, have a few players in their ranks who can really hurt you if you switch off. For us, the strategy was simple- to stay compact, stay disciplined and then pick our moments,’’ he adds to their strategy to disarm MOFA.
The victory means coach Iddi’s boys built on their confidence from round two when they made away with a 1-0 win away in Kisumu against All Stars.
If they are to pose any serious challenge to the title this season, Odhiambo knows consistency must be built.
‘’It is a big step towards that direction because after losing in week one, it was all about our reaction. We showed character by bouncing back in week two, but I think the real test was in consistency,’’ offered the former Gor Mahia Youth player.
Perhaps the inclusion of such experienced players as Wellington Ochieng in their roster this season elevates the team’s character in the dressing room.
Ochieng, a six-time Kenyan Premier League winner, has already sunk his teeth into action in the colours of Black Stars, marshalling the right-back position for Iddi and Odhiambo notes with elation that the standards have really gone up from training, dressing room routine to match-day character.
‘’The team made some changes and brought in some experienced players. The likes of Wellington Ochieng, proper leaders who know what it takes to get over the line, and we can already see that effect in the dressing room. The standards have really gone up,’’ said Odhiambo.
Black Stars had a realistic chance of earning promotion into this year’s top-flight season, as they always have, yet fell short during the closing stages when a promotion play-off position had seemed to be within touching distance.
They have to come out a different side in a league that has new faces in the way of former Premier League sides Nairobi City Stars and FC Talanta (who actually served Black Stars their first loss of the season in week one). Odhiambo, featuring fleetingly last season, reveals that he put in something extra in the off-season.
‘’Personally, I want to stay consistent and put in more contributions. I want to be a player that the team can rely on every single week and not just in flashes. I had some good moments last season, but I know I can give more goals, assists, and leadership on the field. I worked extra on my fitness and decision-making in the off-season, and I want to show it in my performances. At the end of the day, individual achievements won’t mean much. I want to keep improving, push my teammates, and be one of the reasons we cross that finish line this time,’’ he added.
The round 3 victory pushes coach Iddi’s boys to the top four, tied on points with their Sunday opponents.
Only Migori Youth and Mombasa United have so far had clean starts and stay joint top of the NSL log with nine points apiece.
.jpg)
