Simba coach sings Mohamed Bajaber's praises after goal on debut

Simba SC interim coach Suleiman Matola was pleased with Kenya international Mohamed Bajaber after he netted his first goal on debut for the Tanzanian giants.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news

The 22-year-old joined the Wekundu wa Msimbazi in July, crossing over from FKF Premier League defending champions Kenya Police FC, but was yet to make a competitive appearance for the club due to injury.

'It will be a big moment in my career' - AFC Leopards winger on playing first Mashemeji Derby

However, the former Nairobi City Stars man recovered and started from the bench in Simba's 3-0 victory over Mbeya City, coming on in the 84th minute and making an immediate impact by hammering the final nail in Mbeya's coffin a minute later, much to the appreciation of his coach.

“It was a good day for Bajaber. He is such a good player, but he arrived at Simba with bad luck and with an injury. It was his first game today, and he showed what he can do, and why Simba wanted his services,” Matola told Pan-Africa Football.

The 47-year-old tactician went ahead to disclose why it was important for the Tanzanian club to secure Bajaber’s signature.

“He got one chance, and managed to score, and he has shown his abilities, and why Simba had to be patient to have him in the squad despite the injury disruption, I know he will be the happiest man today, and more than happy he chose Simba as his team.”

Security heightened for Mashemeji Derby

Further, Matola, who took over from Bulgarian tactician Dimitar Pandev, also disclosed the tactics that won Simba the game while also highlighting the areas they must improve on.

“I told you earlier, we must contain the game, we wanted to manage the midfield, and we did it very well, we created several chances, especially in the first half, but never used them, we needed to have scored like four goals.

The same happened in the second period; we created several chances, but there was nothing good to show from it. I think we will still have a lot of work to change this; we have to do it in training and make sure we turn our chances into goals,” he remarked.

Next up for Simba is a Mzizima Derby encounter against Azam FC on Sunday, 7 October, which Matola believes will be inspired by the win over Mbeya.

Mathare United head coach calls for Dandora Stadium ban after spate of injuries

“The win against Mbeya is a huge boost ahead of the derby; it gives us everything heading into the game against Azam, and we know it won’t be easy, but we are ready for Azam.”