On Sunday 27 November 2022 champions Tusker FC will host Nairobi City Stars in Ruaraka in a matchday two tie in the 2022-23 FKF Premier League starting at 3 pm.
Head coach Nicholas Muyoti will once again be in charge, and for a third straight time come up against his counterpart Robert Matano.
In between the upcoming game and the one in January, City Stars met Tusker at the same venue in May 2022. It ended 0-0.
Into the game, Tusker carries a 2-1 win over Kakamega Homeboyz as City Stars goes in with a 2-0 loss to Bidco United.
Summary
City Stars away games vs Tusker; Wins (5), Draws (3), Loses (6). Total – 14
17-Oct-04; Tusker vs World Hope, 1-0 (L)
2-Jul-06; Tusker vs World Hope, 1-0 (L)
21-Jul-07; Tusker vs World Hope, 3-1 (L)
20-Aug-08; Tusker vs World Hope, 0-2 (W)
4-Apr-09; Tusker vs City Stars, 1-1 (D)
9-May-10Tusker vs City Stars, 1-0 (L)
17-Jul-11; Tusker vs City Stars, 2-1 (L)
11-Feb-12; Tusker vs City Stars, 2-1 (L)
20-Sep-13; Tusker vs City Stars, 2-3 (W)
19-Sep-14; Tusker vs City Stars, 1-1 (D)
21-Aug-15; Tusker vs City Stars, 0-1 (W)
23-Oct-16; Tusker vs City Stars, 1-1 (D) 30-Jul-21; Tusker vs City Stars, 0-1 (W) 16-Jan-22; Tusker vs City Stars, 0-1 (W)
27-Nov-22; Tusker vs City Stars, ??
Eleven players have renewed their contracts and will stay on at Nairobi City Stars for the upcoming 2022/23 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League season.
Goalkeepers Jacob Osano and Steve Njunge, stoppers Kenedy Vidic Onyango and Edwin Buliba, fullbacks Calvin Masawa and Herit Mungai, are some of the players who re-upped their contracts.
Midfielders Peter Pinchez Opiyo, Anthony Muki Kimani, and Oliver Maloba are also staying on for another season.
Forwards Mohammed Bajaber who was on loan in the last half of last season from Starfield Academy is in for another season, as well as record-chasing scorer Ezekiel Odera.
“All the eleven players had run down their contracts at the close of last season but we are happy that they agreed to stay on for yet another season as per the coaches’ plan,” said team coordinator Samson Otieno
The eleven add on to another six players who had rolling contracts. They include forward Vincent Jamaica Otieno and Rowland Makati, midfielders Elvis Noor Ojiambo and Ronney Kola, left-back Dennis Wanjala, and keeper Elvis Ochoro.
“With a core team still in place, the culture of the team remains as we restructure for the upcoming season. It is exciting to keep a majority of players as we tune ourselves for next season.” said head coach Nicholas Muyoti
Nairobi City Stars wrapped their 2021/22 FKF Premier League season with a 2-2 draw against FC Talanta at the Kasarani Annex on Sunday 12 June 2022.
The game was the 34th and final tie of the season, and the point earned, of goals from stalwarts Ezekiel Odera and Peter Pinchez Opiyo, guaranteed the club a fifth-placed finish.
It was Odera’s opener that activated the scoresheet in the first half in what was his tenth goal of the season, and Opiyo’s goal, his third of the season, is what leveled the game as the hosts scored twice at the restart to take a 2-1 lead.
Away from the season-ender, we look at the ended 2021/22 FKF Premier League season in numbers.
Zero
-Points earned from KCB, Sofapaka
1
-Games earned by keeper Elvis Ochoro. He stood between the sticks in the season-ender to mark his top-flight debut
-Goals scored by Vincent Jamaica Otien-debut top-flight goal vs Vihiga Bullets, forward Davis Agesa, and stopper Kenedy Onyango
-Starts by Rowland Makati in his debut season
2
-Goals scored by stoppers Salim Abdallah and Lennox Ogutu, defensive-mid Sven Yidah, attacking-mid Oliver Maloba, and striker Erick Ombija in the season
-Starts by forward Mohammed Bajaber, Augustine Kuta, Erick Ombija, and Rodgers Okumu
3
– Number of assists by midfielder Peter Opiyo, forwards Odera, Davis Agesa, and right back Kevin Chumsy Okumu
– Goals scored by Peter Opiyo, Rodgers Okuse Okumu, and Nicholas Kipkirui
-Direct freekicks scored by Peter Opiyo (vs Mathare United), Anthony Kimani (vs Gor Mahia) & Timothy Ouma (vs Bandari)
-Penalties scored by Ezekiel Odera (vs Wazito, KCB, FC Talanta)
4
– Number of assists by forwards Odera, Nicholas Kipkirui, and Sven Yidah
– MVP mentions picked by Peter Opiyo, Anthony Kimani, and the number of second assists by both Opiyo and Chumsy
-Number of players handed premier league debuts by coach Nicholas Muyoti; keepers Elvis Ochoro and Jacob Osano, midfielders Mohammed Bajaber and Rowland Makati
5
-MVP mentions for Timothy Ouma
-Positional finish (best ever) in the 18-team log
-Games earned by stopper Wycliffe Otieno after shaking off eight-month-long injury
6
-Goals by field skipper Anthony Muki Kimani
-Points collected from Wazito, Vihiga Bullets, Mathare United
7
-Goals scored by attacking-mid Timothy Babu Ouma
-Games earned by forward Vincent Jamaica Otieno
-Players that clocked over 2,000 minutes: Jacob Osano, Kenedy Onyango, Timothy Ouma, Anthony Kimani, Sven Yidah and Ezekiel Odera
9
– Assists, as well as second assists by attacking-mid Timothy Babu Ouma
-Games clocked by Michael Madoya
14
-Number of clean sheets across the season
-Games earned by Calvin Masawa, Elvis Noor Ojiambo, and Erick Ombija
25
-Goal contribution by Timothy Ouma (7 goals, 9 assists, and as many second assists)
-Games earned by Nicholas Kipkirui
30
-Complete games by Sven Yidah (the most)
-Games earned by Ezekiel Odera
-The number of players (out of 31) used across the season by head coach Nicholas Muyoti
32
-Games (the most) earned by Sven Yidah and Timothy Noor Ouma
67
-Number of cautions earned across the season; 65 yellow cards, two red cards
The 2021/22 FKF Premier League season is over for Nairobi City Stars attacking midfielder Oliver Maloba.
The flyer, at this best in the last few games, suffered rib fractures in the game against Kenya Police in Ruaraka on Labour Day after a collision with keeper Reuben Juma.
The collision occurred in the 75th minute as Maloba went for a goal. He lay on the ground for a few minutes before being taken to the ambulance for the remainder of the game to be stabilized.
“Following tests, Maloba suffered multiple fractures on two of his ribs and requires up to six weeks of total rest to heal. He is on medication and close observation,” said team physio Brain Otieno Odongo
Head coach Nicholas Muyoti has spoken about the abrupt absence of one of his main architects Maloba.
“Maloba had been a force, especially in our most recent games. It’s unfortunate his season has ended early due to injury. We will certainly miss him,”
“We have to move on though and his absence becomes a good challenge to the players available; they need to step up to take his place.” said Muyoti
On his part, a distraught Maloba said; “It is sad that the season is over. But what to do. Let me concentrate on healing.”
Maloba had featured in 23 of 28 games to clock 1,183 minutes and scored two game-winning goals in identical 1-0 wins over champions Tusker and Ulinzi Stars.
The end result was a 0-0 draw when Nairobi City Stars hosted Kenya Police in a reverse round 28 FKF Premier League tie played in Ruaraka on Sunday 1 May 2022.
The cagey affair could have gone either way but City Stars will have to thank keeper Jacob Osano to thank for pulling massives saves in the second half to register his eleventh clean sheet this season, and 12th for Simba wa Nairobi.
Police also survived the death when a Timothy Ouma freekick smacked the crossbar with the keeper well beaten.
Simba wa Nairobi had the earliest of chances to disturb Police when Augustine Kuta – who had been handed his first start ever at City Stars – floated a freekick in the second minute that Sven Yidah headed out at the far post.
A minute later Kuta was in the box Police and fired for goal only for his effort to get a clearance. The visitors responded immediately when Duke Abuya got the ball outside the box and fired straight at City Stars keeper Jacob Osano.
Two minutes later, Kuta was in the Police box again, only to fire high up. And again, Duke responded with a shot on the other end only for Osano to check the effort at the near post.
Four minutes later, Osano spilled a ball off a Duke shot, and the best striker Clinton Kinanga could do was hit the side netting from the rebound.
In the minutes that followed, Cliffton Miheso wasted a freekick and had a header go wide as City Stars wasted a freekick and a corner.
In the 34th minute, Sven received a yellow card, the first in the game, for an alleged foul on Abuya. Four minutes later Police stopper Silicho Soita was also carded for a check on City Stars striker Ezekiel Odera.
In between, City Stars stopper Wycliffe Wiked Otieno – playing his first game of the season, and the first premier league game since 14 August 2021 – saw his header off a Herit Mungai freekick fly just wide.
Police responded in the dying minutes of the first half with a long-range effort from Miheso that went straight to Osano. His freekick, later on, won fruitless back-to-back corners ending the action in the first half.
Inside four minutes of the second half, Police had two near-misses as Kinanga wasted a cross from left-back David Owino Ambulu as Miheso headed straight at Osano.
City Stars then tweaked their lineup bringing on Elvis Noor Ojiambo for Kuta who had been out marked after switching with John Kamau from the right to the left-wing towards the close of the first half.
City Stars spurred to life and Elvis’s sibling Timothy dinked the ball just past the goal as Kamau was stopped at the edge of the box with a run on goal.
Within three minutes as the clock read 55 minutes, center ref Dr. Peter Waweru Kamaku was forced to hand out three yellow cards; one to City Stars stopper Kenedy Vidic Onyango for a foul on Kinanga, and to Kamau for a high boot. Police skipper Musa Mohammed also got his booking after a challenge on Kamau.
At the hour mark, flyer Rodgers Okuse Okumu came on for Kamau and ten minutes later a double change saw the arrival of Lennox Ogutu for an injured Wycliffe Otieno and Nicholas Kipkirui for Odera. The next minute, Police brought in winger Alvin Mangeni for Miheso.
In between the changes, Timothy Ouma took a freekick that earned a wasted corner that went straight to Police keeper Juma.
In the 75th minute, Kinanga could have handed Police the lead but an agile Osano saved his point-blank effort.
Two minutes later there was panic at Ruaraka after a dashing Oliver Maloba collided with Police keeper Juma and the medics made an emergency rush to attend to him.
After close to three minutes of stoppage, he was stabilized but was unable to continue with the game. And with City Stars substitution slots already exhausted, the team had to play a man less for the rest of the game.
With the numerical advantage, Police raided the City Stars box but fluffed virtually all their chances. On the other end, Timothy had a freekick go straight to keeper Juma before his sibling Elvis fired a ball, off a Kipkirui effort, that ended up with to the same keeper.
In the final minute of the game, Osano did the unthinkable when he fingertipped a David Simiyu close-range would-be deciding header for a corner that Police failed to utilize. Simiyu had only been on the pitch for less than a minute after coming on for Silicho.
But the final drama of the evening rested on teenager Timothy who smacked the crossbar with a precise freekick in the fifth minute of added time. It earned a corner that yielded naught as the game came to a close.
Okuse, on full flight mode on the left, earned the freekick leaving right back Lusaka with a yellow card.
From the Labour Day result, City Stars remains fourth with 46 points as Police maintained the 13th spot with 31 points.
Next up for City Stars is an away game to Wazito on Sunday 8 May 2022 in Kasarani starting 3 pm.
Lineups
Nairobi City Stars: 16. Jacob Osano, 8. Calvin Masawa-captain , 28. Herit Mungai, 22. Wycliffe Otieno (27. Lennox Ogutu-70), 25. Kennedy Onyango, 18. Sven Yidah, 20. Timothy Ouma , 15. John Kamau (7. Rodgers Okumu-60), 29. Augustine Kuta (2. Elvis Noor-50), 32. Ezekiel Odera (17. Nicholas Kipkirui-70)
Unused subs: 1. Elvis Ochoro, 5. Michael Madoya, 12. Edwin Buliba, 26. Dennis Wanjala, 14. Rowland Makati,
Out:Out: 3. Charles Otieno, 4. Salim Abdallah, 6. Ronney Kola, 9. Vincent Otieno Okoth, 10. Peter Opiyo, 11. Davis Agesa, 19. Kevin Okumu, 23. Stephen Njunge, 24. Erick Ombija, 30. Anthony Kimani, 31. Mohammed Bajaber
Coach: Nicholas Muyoti
Kenya Police: 31. Juma Reuben, 13. Collins Lusaka, 5. Musa Mohammed-captain, 20. Duncan Otieno, 3. Silicho Soita (15. David Simiyu-89), David Owino Ambulu, 12. Charles Ouma, 24. Leslie Otieno, 23. Cliffton Miheso (17. Alvin Mangeni-71), 40. Duke Abuya, 21. Clinton Kinanga
Unused subs: 35. Job Ochieng, 18. Harun Shakava, 11. Erick Kipkirui, 7. David Oluoch, 28. Alex Luganji
Coach: Sammy Pamzo Omollo
Cautions (Yellow cards)
Nairobi City Stars: 18. Sven Yidah (34), 25. Kenedy Onyango (55), 15. John Kamau (57)
Kenya Police: 3. Silicho Soita (38), 5. Musa Mohammed (58), 13. Collins Lusaka (90+)
City Stars winger John Kamau goes for the ball against Kenya Police stopper Duncan Otieno during a 28th round FKF Premier League tie in Ruaraka on Sun 1 May 2022. It ended 0-0City Stars stopper Lennox Ogutu goes for the ball against Kenya Police during a 28th round FKF Premier League tie in Ruaraka on Sun 1 May 2022. It ended 0-0
