06 Jan 2024
NCS, Team News Permalink
Nairobi City Stars players celebrate third goal vs FC Talanta on Sat 6 Jan 2024 in Ruaraka during a matchday 17 FKF Premier League tie. City Stars won it 3-0
Nairobi City Stars players celebrate third goal vs FC Talanta on Sat 6 Jan 2024 in Ruaraka during a matchday 17 FKF Premier League tie. City Stars won it 3-0

MD17: Nairobi City Stars 3 FC Talanta 0

January 6, 2024

Goals by Mohammed Bajaber, Robinson Asenwa, and Samuel Kapen handed home team Nairobi City Stars a 3-0 dispatch of FC Talanta during a matchday 17 tie in Ruaraka on Saturday 6 January 2024.

Kapen teed up Mohammed for the first on 37 minutes, and Asenwa dummied over confusing the defense, for the first goal from close range.

Mohammed returned the favor for Kapen who then laid it for Asenwa to finish off the second on 58 minutes. Kapen then finished it off with a great counterattack move beating a center back before placing the ball under the arms of the keeper for the third on 77 minutes. He was later named the MVP.

With the win, the first home win over FC Talanta in three attempts, Simba wa Nairobi registered a new record of winning six games on the trot to move to the 30-point mark and second on the 18-team log.

Next up for Nairobi City Stars is a home game against Posta Rangers in Ruaraka on Sunday 14 January 2024 starting at 3 p.m.

05 Jan 2024
NCS, Team News Permalink
Etemesi, City Stars
Kelvin Etemesi in action against FC Talanta's Peter Mungai in a 33rd round FKF Premier League match in Kasarani Annex on Tue 20 June 2023. It ended 2-2

Head-to-head: Nairobi City Stars (H) vs FC Talanta (A): 2023-24 FKF Premier League season

January 5, 2024

Simba wa Nairobi will host FC Talanta in a matchday 17  FKF Premier League tie in Ruaraka on Saturday 6 January 2024, starting at 3 pm.

The upcoming tie will be the fifth overall between the two in Kenya’s topflight league, but the third with Nairobi City Stars as hosts.

The first home game for City Stars against FC Talanta, during the 2021-22 season-ender at Kasarani Annex in June 2022 ended in a 2-2 draw.

City Stars next home game against the same side, held in Ruaraka in early December 2022, ended in a 2-1 defeat after the visitors wiped out a 1-0 halftime lead with the equalizer and winning goal in the second half.

Simba wa Nairobi heads to the Saturday game in search of their first home win over their stubborn foes.

There are no technical bench changes as, once again, Simba wa Nairobi head coach Nicholas Muyoti will face off with his counterpart Ken Kenyatta on the Talanta side.

Into the game, City Stars carries a five-game winning streak, while FC Talanta has posted two draws and three losses from the same set of games.

Table-wise, Simba wa Nairobi is placed fifth with 27 points, seven clear of eleventh-placed FC Talanta.

Summary

City Stars home games vs FC Talanta; Wins (0), Draws (1), Loses (1). Total – 2

12-Jun-22; City Stars vs FC Talanta, 2-2 (D)
04-Dec-22; City Stars vs FC Talanta, 1-2 (L)
06-Jan-24; City Stars vs FC Talanta, ??

05 Jan 2024
NCS, Team News Permalink
Newton Ochieng
Newton Ochieng vs Muhoroni Youth in Kasarani Annex on Sun 26 Aug 2023

One change against FC Talanta

January 5, 2024

Newton Ochieng has been included in the 20-man squad to face FC Talanta during a matchday 17 FKF Premier League tie in Ruaraka on Saturday 6 January 2024 starting at 3 p.m.

Newton, aka Tony, is the only change from the one that traveled and saw off Kakamega Homeboyz 1-0 in the 2023 year-ender. He takes up the place of Kelvin Etemesi who is ill, and out of the first leg-ender.

Ochieng was last fielded in late October 2023 against Shabana in matchday seven where he picked up an injury. He returned for a matchday 13 game against Posta Rangers but sat out the last three games against Bandari, Ulinzi Stars, and Kakamega Homeboyz.

Squad to face FC Talanta

Goalkeepers: 1. Edwin Mukolwe, 13. Elvis Ochoro,

Defenders: 4. Timothy Muganda, 8. Calvin Masawa-captain, 12. Edwin Buliba, 15. Wycliffe Omondi, 26. Dennis Wanjala, 30. Rowland Makati, 32. Sosthenes Idah

Midfielders: 2. Elvis Noor, 5. Newton Ochieng, 11. Andrew Kisilu, 18. Clifford Ouma, 19. Vincent Owino, 25. Brian Mzee

Forwards: 3. Robinson Asenwa, 9. Mohammed Bajaber, 10. Dennis Oalo, 22. Samuel Kapen, 27. Gilbert Abala

Out: 6. Ronney Kola, 7. Pius Omachi, 17. Brian Mose, 20. Kelvin Etemesi, 21. Yuto Kusaba, 23. Julius Ombacho, 31. Abuyeka Kubasu

Coach: Nicholas Muyoti

04 Jan 2024
NCS, Team News Permalink

Abel Omuhaya: Stats have shaped our season

January 4, 2024

Nairobi City Stars goalkeeper trainer Abel Omuhaya is of the view that a keen look at statistics, and application of findings, is what has turned around the club’s fortunes in recent games.

Omuhaya, best known as Abelo, states that keenness in stats has been an eye-opener.

“You can never argue with stats. The figures tell it all. After every few games, we sit down with the management to look at the captured stats during our league games. They are detailed and very revealing,” he said

“In my goalkeeping department, I always have a key look at claims, runouts, throw-outs, long and short goal kicks, as well as saves from situations which informs me on who is the right personnel for an upcoming game,”

“Overall as the technical bench, we look at parameters that relate to other departments in the same manner, which guides us on how to utilize players in games. It has worked well for the team.” added Omuhaya

Omuhaya, a former Tusker, and AFC Leopards keeper, amongst other clubs, joined Nairobi City Stars at the beginning of the 2022/23 FKF Premier League season from Kakamega Homeboyz and extended his stay for the current season.

In his first season, Omuhaya worked with goalkeepers Jacob Osano and Stephen Njunge, as well as Elvis Ochoro who stayed on for the current season. Ochoro has since been joined by Edwin Mukolwe, and Julius Ombacho from Bidco United and Luanda Villa, respectively, for the current season.

Nairobi City Stars goalkeeper trainer Abel Omuhaya

02 Jan 2024
NCS, Team News Permalink
Calvin Masawa
Nairobi City Stars skipper Calvin Masawa in action on Sat 3 June 2023 against Nzoia Sugar during a matchday 32 tie in Kasarani Annex

Calvin Masawa: Defensive seal the difference

January 2, 2024

Nairobi City Stars skipper Calvin Masawa reckons the club’s recent rise in games, win-wise, is directly attributed to defensive maturity that has seen the team shoot up to fifth in the standings.

Nairobi City Stars had conceded in all games between matchday two and twelve, but has since dropped that tag to post three clean sheets – in identical 1-0 wins over Posta Rangers, Bandari, and Kakamega Homeboyz – in the last four games.

Simba wa Nairobi has conceded just twice in the last five games compared to 13 goals shipped in from the prior set of five games.

In sealing the backline, City Stars has managed to piece up five straight wins matching a rare record set in the 2020/21 Premier League season. The contiguous run adds up to another win to make it six triumphs in the last seven games.

Masawa, City Stars longest serving player having joined back in the year 2011, talks up that improvement.

“First I thank God for the far he has brought us. It wasn’t particularly a good start for us due to the fact cohesively we were not that good,”

“We conceded a lot of goals although we were scoring in each game. We had to go back to the drawing board and come up with defensive strategies. That’s why we concede fewer goals, and of course, if you don’t concede chances of winning matches are high and the results can testify,”

“That has brought confidence in every player and to the entire team,” added Masawa.

City Stars started the season with a barren draw against Muhoroni Youth and had to wait till match matchday 13 in the 1-0 over the then log-leader Posta Rangers, to register the second clean sheet.

Incidentally, that second clean sheet arrived when Masawa clocked his first full game since early June 2023, against Nzoia Sugar in Kasarani Annex.

He has gone on to clock full minutes in three games thereafter, against Bandari, Ulinzi Stars, and Kakamega Homebyz to tally up 556 minutes this season in seven games.

Calvin Masawa

Nairobi City Stars skipper Calvin Masawa in action on Sat 3 June 2023 against Nzoia Sugar during a matchday 32 tie in Kasarani Annex

City Stars

Nairobi City Stars skipper Calvin Masawa with the ball against KCB’s John Mwangi during a 22nd round FKF Premier League tie in Kasarani Annex on Wed 5 Apr 2023. KCB won it 1-0

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