Why Ulinzi Stars Coach is a Worried Man Ahead of Gor Mahia, Shabana Ties Following 'Bad' Display against Mathare

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Why Ulinzi Stars Coach is a Worried Man Ahead of Gor Mahia, Shabana Ties Following 'Bad' Display against Mathare

Mark Kinyanjui 15:45 - 18.05.2025

Ulinzi Stars were beaten 1-0 by Mathare United on Saturday, which now leaves Danstun Nyaudo a concerned man ahead of their matches against Gor Mahia and Shabana.

Ulinzi Stars head coach Danstun Nyaudo did not hold back in his assessment following his side’s underwhelming 1-0 defeat to Mathare United on Saturday afternoon in Dandora. The Soldiers were undone by a second-half volley from Musa Masika, who capitalised on a Brian Ouru pass in the 73rd minute to hand the Slum Boys all three points.

The match offered little excitement in the first half as both teams struggled to impose themselves. While Mathare eventually found rhythm under coach John Kamau’s patient, possession-based style, Ulinzi stayed compact, limiting clear-cut chances until the breakthrough moment.

Masika’s decisive strike—launched from the edge of the box—beat goalkeeper Stephen Omondi, who could do little despite his full-stretch dive. It proved to be the difference in a game lacking clinical execution on both ends.

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For Nyaudo, the performance was unacceptable.

“I am disappointed. I hope my players will grow from this in the coming season because the way we planned today is not how we set up to play. We played so badly,” he said bluntly.

“How we planned today is not what we executed.”

The Ulinzi boss pointed to possible fatigue after a congested schedule that saw them play away to Mara Sugar just days before their clash with Mathare.

“I don’t know whether it is fatigue because we have had quite a lot of matches and travelled a lot, coming from Mara Sugar on Wednesday and then coming back to play on Saturday. We have not had a good rest, that is how the organisers have decided, but at the same time, we did not play well,” he added.

“It is a fair result, but we missed chances. Mathare got their chance and maximised it.”

Currently sitting 11th on the FKF Premier League table with 37 points, Ulinzi Stars face a challenging close to the season. Their final league games are against record champions Gor Mahia and surprise title challengers Shabana. They are also in the quarterfinals of the FKF Cup.

Despite the poor showing against Mathare, Nyaudo remains optimistic that his side can lift their standards in the upcoming matches.

“The matches we have will see us give better results. This one was a serious one because everyone is trying to avoid relegation. The teams we will be facing next have pressure to win the league, so they had more to lose—but for today, we had a lot of pressure on us.”

With the league wrapping up and cup ambitions still alive, Ulinzi Stars must quickly shake off the disappointment and regain their edge if they hope to end the season on a high.

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