Nairobi City Stars

Tag: Noah Abich

  • City Stars players turn to community caregivers

    City Stars players turn to community caregivers

    On Wednesday and Easter Friday, Nairobi City Stars players put behind their footballers’ tags to serve several communities across the City of Nairobi.

    Led by skipper Noah Abich, his assistant Calvin Masawa and field captain Anthony Kimani, a long list of active players joined hands with team owner and sponsor Jonathan Jackson Foundation (JJF) to lend a hand in distributing food hampers to the vulnerable families in Kibera and Deep Sea in Parklands.

    This is in the wake of the Corona Virus pandemic that, from mid-March 2020, disrupted operational norms not only in the country but across the globe.

    JJF joined hands with Team Pankaj who on their own accord rallied major corporates to contribute food stuff and other household items towards the noble idea.

    Speaking on the same, Jonathan Jackson, the chair of both City Stars and JFF said;

    “With a reset from normal life there are communities that are adversely affected by the Corona Virus pandemic. A work-from-home call by the Government that has been heeded by many as a way to contain the spread of virus has left many a common person without a livelihood. These are part of reasons we are joining hands with the likes of Team Pankaj and the helpful hands of City Stars players to distribute foodstuffs to the most hit communities. We have done this across the week and hope to continue in days to come.” he added

    Commenting on the same, Abich who led the team in distributing the hampers on Wednesday across different centers said;

    “This is a worthy cause and when we were informed there was work to be done, we quickly availed ourselves for that purpose,”

    “The Corona Virus has affected many families as home providers are now temporarily jobless due to a shutdown to many earning opportunities. We will continue to lend a hand to JJF as I thank all those that have come forward to donate and put a smile to these families.”

    Masawa who led another team back to Kibera and Deep Sea on Friday said;

    “With our league on hold due to Corona Virus we have now turned our focus to serve the community and are working hand in hand with JFF to see to it that we put a smile to the most affected families across different communities.”

    A final comment came from the team CEO Korir who said; “I must thank Team Pankaj for minding the society during this hard times. Their generosity is simply second to none. As they provide the goodies, my team and I, and in conjunction with JJF, will always be at hand to deliver the same to the most deserving in the communities.”

    Other than the distribution, the City Stars team has also been actively involved in packaging of the hampers at Team Pankaj’s Pack House in Westlands.

    Midfielders Charles Otieno, Elvis Ojiambo and Oliver Maloba, keeper Ronny Kagunzi, left back Wesley Onguso and striker Ezekiel Odera, team trainer Arthur Museve and CEO Korir were part of the Wednesday team.

    Right back Kevin Okumu, defender Edwin Buliba and winger David Gateri joined in on Friday as Maloba, Kimani and Odera took a break. More players will be activated in days to come.

  • Captains speak on WFH

    Captains speak on WFH

    From Monday 15 March 2020, all football activities were brought to a halt due to the global corona virus outbreak.

    With no clear line out sight to when matters will reset to the norm, Nairobi City Stars granted head coach Sanjin Alagic open leave at the close of that week.

    The following week, in the wake of all sporting facilities having been closed based on directives from the Ministry of Health, he unveiled a month-long work-from-home (WFH) program for all 25 Nairobi City Stars players.

    A week later, three captains in the team; Noah Abich (overall), Calvin Masawa (assistant) and Anthony Muki Kimani (field captain – pictured) have all spoken on the current situation and the dynamics of operating from home.

    “We are all trying to adapt to it. This morning I was at my local gym for a workout with (Jockins) Atudo. I am following the program as it says and I want to believe the rest of the lot are doing the same.” said Abich before adding;

    “But working from home is tough. It’s not what we are used to,” added the veteran dead ball specialist who captained the team to relegation survival last season

    Masawa who joined City Stars back in year 2011 from Migori, and is the club’s longest serving servant, said;

    “On my part I follow the schedule to the letter. It requires a lot of discipline to stick to the program. Those are the challenges that comes with working alone from home.”

    Muki, the club’s leading assist provider, added;

    “Working from home is a bit tricky because of this pandemic the World is going through. But again it’s fun at the same time because we get to tag along with our families who get to experience what we do on a daily.”

    With the head coach out in Bosnia on leave, team trainer Grace Wang’ondu has been put in charge to check on the players.

  • Agesa, Abich to miss Shabana clash

    Head coach Sanjin Alagic will be without two key players; Striker Davis Agesa and defender Noah Abich ahead of a 20th round National Super League (NSL) game against host Shabana at the Gusii Stadium on Saturday 11 January 2020.

    Agesa limped off training on Wednesday with a knee discomfort and out of precaution was left out of the travelling party.

    Abich recently interred his father and is yet to return to team duties. Both players featured in the season opener against the same side at Hope Centre.

    Added to his list of absentees is left back Wesley Onguso who has been missing from game day squads since the third week of November due to an illness. Though training he is yet to return to full fitness.

    Away from the two Sanjin has the rest of his regulars including plus his latest addition – striker Azizi Odenyi Okaka who was roped in during the week. He’s expected to make his debut at the game.

    Another new signing Peter Pinchez Opiyo is part of the traveling party but will sit out the game as his International Transfer Certificate from the Turkmen Federation is yet to arrive.

    Squad to Kisii

    23. Levis Opiyo, 8. Calvin Masawa, 4. Salim Abdalla, 22. Wycliffe Otieno, 28. Kevin Okumu, 3. Charles Otieno, 2. Elvis Ojiambo, 30. Anthony Kimani (Captain), 21. Oliver Maloba, 25. David Gateri, 1. Ronny Kagunzi, 19. Jimmy Bageya, 16. Vincent Otieno, 26. Ebrima Sanneh, 13. Eric Ochieng, 12. Edwin Buliba, 27. Aziz Okaka, 10. Peter Opiyo

  • News and intrigues that made Nairobi City Stars in 2019

    News and intrigues that made Nairobi City Stars in 2019

    Imagine nine games into a season with not a single win. That’s how struggling City Stars (NCS) took a stride into year 2019.

    It finally arrived in late January, a 1-0 win over Green Commandoes. It took another two months for a second to be registered on the scoreboards; a 3-1 win over Shabana at Camp Toyoyo on the ack of a record of seven straight defeats, and after ten attempts.

    With the team out of sorts, relegation to the third tier was a reality.

    But there was to be the end of the struggles as boardroom talks in the background, and at the end of the first quarter of the year, one Jonathan ‘Kiplimo’ Jackson, an Eldoret-born Englishman – a real estate Mogul in Europe and in Africa – saved the club from near death by acquiring it in whole from former owner Peter Jabuya.

    First stop for Jonathan? A trip out of the red zone.

    At the end of the first quarter the team had picked a paltry 14 points from its first 21 of 38 games into the shortened transitional 2018/19 National Super League (NSL) season.

    A quick club restructure from April saw the club scoop 25 points in the final 17 games to survive the chop in ending up 14th with 39 points.

    For the 2019/2020 season, starting September 2019, City Stars had tabled the simplest of objectives; Promotion to the topflight next season.

    Onboarded to this course was Sarajevo-born Sanjin Alagic, a UEFA Pro coach, who masterminded the signing of nine new players and the re-signing of three former club stalwarts.

    Four months later the club was unbeaten in 18 games into the 2019 NSL season that opened up a 22-game unbeaten check adding the final four games from the other season.

    From end of September the team topped the log with a point advantage after pulling off five wins in six games.

    It gap grew to six points at the end of October and November. After the penultimate round of games in the first leg, the team had strewn up an eight-point gap following a 3-1 wallop of Admin Police.

    The only blight? A 1-0 loss to Kibera Black Stars in the final game of the first leg in mid-December. Despite that the team carried a seven-point gap to the new year.

    What were the identifiable news liners for City Stars in 2019? Here’s a month by month account of happenings.

    January

    5th; City Stars starts the year with a 2-2 draw away to Coast Stima

    26th; The team snaps an 11-game winless and non-clean sheet run with a 1-0 win over Green Commandoes for their first win into the 2018/19 season. It was the first triumph since a 2-0 win over Kisumu AllStars in early October 2018.

    28th; Ugandan Jimmy Kintu takes over as coach relegating former player John Amboko to his assistant.

    February

    13th; A 2-1 home defeat to FC Talanta opens the path to a month long losing streak

    27th; After 17 games, City Stars ends February with a paltry 11 points from a win and eight draws.

    March

    20th; City Stars hits Shabana 3-1 at Toyoyo, in a round 21 game, to snap a record of seven straight defeats, and ten-game winless run, for only their second win of the season. For their fete the team received Kshs 20,000 from Jonathan Jackson who was on the verge of a complete takeover of the club from owner Peter Jabuya.

    24th; The next game against host Eldoret Youth, that the team lost 1-0, became the last for Ugandan coach Jimmy Kintu.

    28th; Re-elevated Amboko was to kick off his tenure in the next game, a round 23 game, with a 0-0 draw at Camp Toyoyo against Bidco United, for the teams second clean sheet of the season.

    April

    3rd; City Stars officially starts life under new dispensation following complete acquisition by the Jonathan Jackson Foundation (JJF). The first game under the new auspices is away to Kisumu AllStars that ends in a 1-1 draw.

    6th; The team re-signs former trio; Gambian striker Ebrima Sanneh, wingers Heritier Luvualu and David Gateri, as well as strikers Paul Okatwa Odhiambo, dead ball master Noah Abich Odhiambo and keeper Vincent Khatili on loan from Vapor to boost survival chances.

    7th; Sanneh announces his return with a brace against Coast Stima, for a 2-1 win at Camp Toyoyo, to hand the team only their third win of the season. Abich provided both assists.

    12th; In the next game, Abich slots in an injury time penalty to hand City Stars a 2-1 win over Modern Coast for the team to post the first back-to-back win of the season.

    17th; City Stars game away to Kenya Police away at Karuturi in Naivasha is abandoned, the game tied at 1-1, after the latter protests against a ‘dubious’ penalty and gun drama. The case later goes to the Federation and the ruling saw Police awarded the game on a 2-0 basis as City Stars coach Amboko and two players – keeper Ronny Kagunzi and center back Augustine Ochieng – slapped with 90-day bans. It was the end of their season.

    21st; City Stars ends the month by giving up the lead four times, including a 3-1 advantage into the second half, to draw Fortune Sacco 4-4 at Toyoyo.

    May

    1st; The club announces roping in of online journalist Patrick Korir as CEO while also inviting back Neville Pudo as Team Manager

    7th; Ligi Ndogo Technical Director Vladimir, a Serbian, joins the Technical bench, and he comes along with James Omondi, to boost the team’s survival chances. They kick off against Nairobi Stima at Hope Centre.

    22nd; Bogey team St. Joseph’s routinely shocks City Stars 3-2 at Toyoyo despite playing with ten men from the 62nd minute following a red card to defender William Odunga. They led 2-0 inside the first five minutes.

    27th; Two sublime Abich freekicks inside ten first half minutes sees City Stars led promotion chasing Ushuru 2-1 at half time who rallied to tie the game 2-2at the death. The draw ended Ushuru’s promotion dream.

    June

    1st; Abich scores a late long range freekick on a rainy Saturday evening to earn City Stars a 2-1 win over Kangemi United. While it all but secured the teams slot in the NSL, it virtually confirmed the relegation of their victims

    9th; Davis Agesa scores the final goal of the season, a winning one at Hope Centre, as City Stars ends the season with a 2-1 win over hosts Kibera Black Stars. It followed on a 2-0 win over Migori Youth at the same venue four days earlier. The latest June wins saw the team end up 14th on the log with 39 points. Arthur Museve plays his final ten minutes at City Stars and retires to join the technical bench after a record 14 years of service as a player.

    20th; New club offices unveiled at Bishops Court on Fourth Ngong Avenue.

    30th; 16 players let go and 15 retained as the team starts the journey to the next season.

    July

    10th; Training starts, seven weeks to the new 2019 season.

    12th; Sanjin Alagic from Bosnia and Herzegovina,a UEFA Pro coach, arrives to take up his role as head coach.

    20th; First preseason friendly vs Komarock combined at Ruaraka. Ends 1-0 for City Stars. Peter Wainaina with the goal.

    24th; Preseason game against Ligi Ndogo at Posta grounds cancelled due to poor surface.

    27th; Second preseason friendly vs Hakati Sportiff at Camp Toyoyo. Ends 0-0. The coach spots their budding striker Vincent Okoth Otieno aka Jamaica who is invited to train with the team.

    August

    3rd; Team falls 1-0 to Premiership side Wazito in friendly at Ngong Vapor grounds

    10th; City Stars remains winless after going down 1-0 to AFC Leopards at Hope Centre. Vincent Oburu pounced on an uncleared ball for the difference. Keeper Levis Opiyo proves himself in the game and is handed a one-year deal days later

    15th; The team heads out for a ten-day preseason bonding camp in Kakamega. Friendly games with local sides in Mumias ended with two more against Premiership sides Kisumu AllStars (0-0) and Western Stima (3-2 loss) in Kisumu.

    24th; Two friendly games conclude pre-season. The first against Dagoretti Santos at Hope Centre ends 0-0. The next, a Hope Centre derby against Vapor ends 3-2 in favor of NCS after a 0-0 half time draw.

    27th; City Stars completes the signing of teenager Jamaica from Hakati Sportiff on a three year deal. He became the ninth and final season signing adding on to keeper Opiyo, left back Wesley Onguso, centre back Salim ‘Shitu’ Abdala, defender Cornelius Mwangi from Modern Coast Rangers, winger Nashon Thiosh Thiong’o from Mt. Kenya United,  defensive midfielders Elvis Ojiambo Noor from Kibera Black Stars, Eric Cantona Ochieng from Wazito and Wycliffe Otieno from Kariobangi Sharks.

    Anthony ‘Muki’ Kimani, back at the club after ten years, Stephen Mueni from Modern Coast Rangers and Jimmy Bageya – back for a sixth stint in ten years – were the other new signings. The new 12 added on to 15 retained from last season; keepers Ronny Kagunzi and Vincent Khatili, defenders Edwin Buliba, Kevin Okumu, Calvins Masawa, Noah Abich, Victor Okulu and Augustine Ochieng, midfielders Oliver Maloba, Peter Wainaina, Charles Otieno, David Gateri and Heritier Luvualu, strikers Ebrima Sanneh and Davis Agesa.

    September

    1st; City Stars starts season with 2-0 win over Shabana at Hope Centre handing coach Sanjin a fine start. Sanneh and Bageya scored on either half. The game saw eight of 12 new players feature in the game, six of them making their debut; Opiyo, Shitu, Mwangi, Cantona, Thiosh, Ojiambo and Mweni. Returning Muki earned a start.

    9th; A second half brace by Sanneh, in a take-two against Vihiga Bullets, hands City Stars a 2-1 at Bukhungu, Kakamega for a second straight season win. Jamaica earned his debut for the team as a second half sub and marked it with an assist. The game was rained off the evening before with 13 minutes left with City Stars leading 1-0.

    10th; Fate visited the homesteads of two Nairobi City Stars wingers Luvualu and Mweni after claiming a son and sibling, respectively, in the week ending Sunday 8 September.

    18th; City Stars ends Bidco’s three game winning start with a 1-0 win at Thika. Jamaica started his first games and teed up Sanneh for the winner

    23rd; First coastal trip earns three crucial points as early goals by Oliver Maloba and Jamaica led to a 2-1 win. City Stars ended the game a man short after a straight red card on defender Mwangi. Tactical changes saw big unit Wycliffe Otieno earn his debut

    28th; City Stars score three goals on either half to clean out Northern Wanderers 6-0 at Toyoyo to end the month with four clean sheets and shoot to the top of the table with 16 points, one ahead of the chasing pack. A brace by David Gateri and one each from Sanneh, Maloba, Okumu and Bageya did the damage to the team egged out from Eldoret Youth.

    October

    6th & 16th; The team travels to Karuturi, Naivasha and picks all spoils with 3-2 and 2-1 wins over a tough Kenya Police and fancied Nairobi Stima, respectively.

    11th & 27th; very late goals; a 94th minute header by Sanneh and penalty by Abich handed City Stars identical 2-1 wins over promoted APS Bomet at Toyoyo and Fortuna Sacco at Hope Centre, respectively.

    24th; Two assistant coaches John Amboko and Tiellen Oguta – both sponsored by City Stars -graduate with CAF C Diploma licenses.

    25th; FKF NSL report for September saw City Stars named team of the month, the second best in offense and defense, Sanjin named coach of the month, Muki named best is assists (4) and Jamaica second with three, and Sanneh best scorer with five goals.

    27th: Mount Kenya comes from behind to tie City Stars 1-1 at Toyoyo ending the teams seven-game winning streak. The team however closed the month with 29-points, six ahead of the rest.

    November

    2nd: Team recovers from a goal down on 14 minutes and straight red card to skipper Muki on 20 minutes to see off a determined Migori Youth 2-1 at Toyoyo. A flicked header by Agesa and super goal from super sub Maloba deep in the second has completed the turnaround.

    8th; Sanneh ends four game goal drought with a late penalty, for his eighth season goal, as City Stars hit Talanta 1-0 at Toyoyo.

    11th; Nairobi City Stars embraces a Kshs. 750,000 sponsorship for the season from FKF after they entered a three-year partnership with leading betting firm Betika.

    14th: Wazito walks over the team 4-1 in a friendly game at Toyoyo. Muki scored a consolation penalty in a game the coach tested the no so regular players

    15th: NSL report at the end of Oct sees Muki named the best in assists, again. He had five, one ahead of prodigy Jamaica

    23rd: Another coastal trip, another win. Agesa scored a brace and Bageya added one more, all in the second half, as City Stars troubled host Modern Coast Rangers 3-1 at Serani. They trailed the game 1-0 at half time. The win ended a two-game barren draw streak against Ushuru and Muranga SEAL

    25th: Kshs 50,000 floated as the team goes in search of a team anthem. Initial deadline set for mid-December but later pushed to February 2020.

    December

    1st: NCS ended a three-year bad home patch to take down bogey team St. Joseph’s 2-0 in a round 17 match at Toyoyo. Skipper Muki, with an assist and goal was named MVP and was awarded a fine pair of boots by Dev Kumar Parmar of international firm Parmars, a Sports Law and Business company based in the UK and Spain

    3rd: FKF nullified all results in the NSL involving Northern Wanderers, including 6-0 win by City Stars. The team was expelled from the league after disbanding. All goals in that game were all expunged from the scorers’ log.

    11th: The team, accompanied by Real estate firm Lordship Africa and JJF family paid a courtesy call to Kamiti maximum prison. The team won an organized friendly 3-0 with goals from Mweni, Sanneh and a top up in the second half by Jakadingding Okulu.

    14th: Black Stars ends City Stars 18-game unbeaten run into the season with a 1-0 at Toyoyo thanks to Sub Janyeez Otieno’s second half goal. Consequently, NCS settled for half the bounty of Kshs 20,000 and the newly introduced JJF Jamii Cup. The team ends the first leg with 43 points, and a seven-point cushion.

    17th; Defender Abich bereaved; he loses his father after a long illness. Interment set for Sat 4 January 2020.

    20th: Team beats Wazito 1-0 in a friendly game on Fri 20 to close the year on a high. Trialist Aziz Okaka scored the lone goal. It was the last activity of the year.

    28th; The team’s kit for the second leg arrives for clearance from the UK

  • City Stars defender bereaved

    City Stars defender bereaved

    The entire Nairobi City Stars family is mourning following the demise of Noah Odhiambo Abich’s father on Tuesday 17 December 2019 following a short illness.

    Club CEO Patrick Korir issued a statement on the same;

    “On behalf of Nairobi City Stars community, I wish to relay heartfelt condolences to Noah, his immediate family and relative on the passing on of his father. As a family we stand by him and will support him in any way during this hard time.” said club CEO Patrick Korir

    Plans are at an advanced stage for the final journey of Mzee Abich for his interment which will be held before the turn of the year.

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