Nairobi City Stars returned to the Kenyan Premier, for the first time in four years, to feature in the 2020/21 topflight season.
Summed up, here’s Simba wa Nairobi’s season in numbers:
0 (zero)
- Points collected from Wazito and KCB all season.
- Number of goals scored from corners, and conceded
1
- Number of goals scored by stopper Salim Shitu Abdallah during the first game of the second leg as City Stars whipped Sofapaka 3-0
- Times Shitu was named Player of the Week; after round 18 game against Sofapaka. He was the only City Stars player to be named Player of the Week this season.
- Points earned from Bidco United and outgoing champions Gor Mahia
- Times Sven Yidah made it to the team of the week (round 5)
2
- Goals scored by fullbacks Bolton Omwenga and Kevin Chumsy Okumu, as well as roving forwards Oliver Maloba and Rodgers Okuse Okumu
- Penalties saved by keeper Stephen Njunge; against Nzoia Sugar in season opener and Kakamega Homeboyz in the second leg
- Number of games Jimmy Bageya featured in during his sixth stint with the club. He exited in January
- Points earned against Posta Rangers and Vihiga United
3
- Number of MVP accolades earned by Kennedy Vidic Onyango
- Starts by utility back Edwin Buliba. He completed two games on his debut Premier League season
- Direct freekicks scored; by Peter Pinchez Opiyo (vs Ulinzi Stars) field skipper Anthony Muki Kimani (vs Tusker), Botlon Omwenga (vs Ulinzi Stars)
- Times head coach Sanjin Alagic was named the coach of the week; after match days 18, 21 and 25
- Points gathered from Kariobangi Sharks, AFC Leopards, Zoo FC, Mathare United, Kakamega Homeboyz and Sofapaka.
- Most straight losses; match days 9-11 against Sofapaka (1-0), Kariobangi Sharks (2-1), Kakamega Homeboyz (2-0)
4
- Goals scored by three of our strikers; Nicholas Kipkirui, Erick Ombija and Ezekiel Odera, as well as Muki
- Number of MVP accolades earned by Muki, Shitu and Sven Yidah across the season. The second highest
- Assists by Muki. Second highest
- Times left-back Bolton Omwenga (rounds 18,20,25,29) and keeper Stephen Njunge (rounds 3, 13, 21, 28) made it to the team of the week
- points scooped from eventual champions Tusker, Ulinzi Stars and Bandari
5
- Times Peter Pinchez Opiyo was named MVP. The highest
- Number of yellows collected by Pinchez, Shitu, Vidic, Chumsy and Muki
- Number of 2-0 margin wins; vs Nzoia Sugar (H), Bandari (H), Mathare United (H), Ulinzi Stars (A)
- Straight wins achieved at the start of the second leg. Was a new record never achieved in 12 previous premier league seasons between 2004 and, 2016.
- Number of players who made their second premier league debut for City Stars; Maloba, Odera, overall team captain Calvin Masawa and Bageya – all of whom were part of the relegated team in 2016, as well as Muki who was returning to City Stars since 2009
6
- Number of assists by bullish forward Davis Beast Agesa; one more than last season. The highest
- Points collected in home and away games against Western Stima and Nzoia United
- Teams City Stars met for the first time ever in the Premier League: Nzoia Sugar, Bidco United, Vihiga United, Zoo FC, Kariobangi Sharks and, Wazito.
7
- Goals scores by Pinchez to emerge as the top scorer this season
- Positional finish at the close of the season in the 17-team table
- Number of games handled by John Amboko – the last set of games to season-end – after the exit of Sanjin Alagic due to expiry of his contract
- Games earned by former Hakati striker Vincent Jamaica Otieno
8
- Number of one-goal margin wins; 5 ended 2-1 [vs Zoo FC (H), Kariobangi Sharks (A), Western Stima (H), AFC Leopards (H) another three ended in 1-0 wins (vs Homeboyz (H), Nzoia Sugar (A), Tusker (A)]
- Wins registered in 16 second leg games
9
- Starts by teenager Timothy Noor Ouma aka Babu. He completed three games
- Games completed by stopper Wycliffe Wiked Otieno and Davis Beast Agesa
- Number of draws. Five ended as 1-1 [v Vihiga United (H), Posta Rangers (A), Ulinzi Stars (H), Bandari (A), Gor Mahia (H), and two each ended as 0-0 [vs Bidco United (A), Vihiga United (A)] and 2-2 [vs Tusker (H), Posta Rangers (H)]
- Venues visited this season; Wundanyi-Taveta, Mbaraki-Mombasa, Moi Stadium-Kisumu, Bukhungu-Kakamega (once each), ASK Showground-Nakuru (twice), Narok Stadium (three times), Kasarani Annex and Utalii (seven times each) and Ruaraka (ten times)
- Number of games City Stars failed to score; in five 1-0 losses to KCB (A), AFC Leopards (A), Sofapaka (A), Gor Mahia (A) and Wazito (A), and in 2-0 losses to Kakamega Homeboyz (A) & Mathare United (A), in 3-0 loss to KCB (H), 0-0 losses to Bidco United (A), Vihiga United (A)
11
- Number of players that scored this season; Shitu, Omwenga, Chumsy (defenders), Sven, Maloba, Okuse, Pinchez, Muki (midfielders), Kipkirui, Ombija and Odera (strikers)
- Clean sheets by keeper Stephen Njunge. The second best in the league
- Starts earned by left back Herit Mungai. He completed nine
- Games earned by striker Ebrima Sanneh who missed the first three months of the season due to ijury.
12
- Number of players in the 30-man squad of the season that had no Premier League experience. 8 went on to make their bow
- Wins amassed this season – two short of the tally of 14 – the highest ever in 13 premier league season achieved in the 2004/5.
15, 18 – number of times young keeper Elvis Ochoro and Jacob Osano, respectively, were named as reserves
22 – number of incomplete games by field skipper Muki. He started in 28 games but, as a tactic, exited in 21. He came on as a sub once.
24
- Times Masawa stayed on the bench as a utility reserve. The most in the season
- Times John Kamau was left out of the overall squad. he returned strongly to make the squad in the final six games of the season
25 – Average age of the squad that featured in the ended 2020/21 premier league season
29
- Times Muki captained the team
- Number of players used across the season
30 – Goals conceded this season: 3 freekicks (10%), 4 penalties (13.3%), 23 (76.7%) in open play
36 – Goals scored by 13 players. Distributed as follows; 1 own goal (2.8%), 3 freekicks (8.3%), 5 penalties (13.9%), 27 in open play (75%)
45 – Points amassed in the season from 12 wins and nine draws. Second best points haul since the 55 achieved over 38-games in the 2003-4 season
56 – Days apart from when City Stars played Tusker and Gor Mahia in match days 16 (20 Mar) and 17 (16 May). The long break was necessitated by coronavirus instigated lockdown
59 – number of bookings handed to players across the season; 56 yellow cards and 3 red cards
97% – Percentage of games earned by Vidic . He featured in 32 of 33 games only missing the one due to suspension. He clocked 2,868 minutes.
100% – Percentage of games earned by keeper Stephen Njunge. He featured in all 33 games – the only player to do so at City Stars – featuring in a record 2,970 minutes.
275 – Minutes clocked by defensive-mid Charles Chale Otieno across ten games on his debut season.
608 – Minutes clocked by roving winger Azizi Okaka in 12 games.
935 – Minutes clocked by teenager Timothy Noor Ouma, a Laiser Hill Alumnus, in 24 of 33 games on his debut season
1,012 – Minutes clocked by budding creative midfielder Elvis Noor Ojiambo across 25 games.
32,684-Cumulative minutes earned by 29 players in the season
500,000 (Kshs) – The bounty that was on the table had team finished in the top five