Mathare United's John Nyawir (L) and Starlon Odhiambo (R) tussle for the ball against KCB's James Kinyanjui (centre)/ FILE
Head coach John Kamau expects Mathare United to leave everything on the pitch in the hunt for maximum points against relegation-threatened Nairobi City Stars in their last match of the Kenyan Premier League season on Sunday.
The Slum Boys are 10th on the log with 41 points, the same as ninth-placed KCB.
Meanwhile, City Stars are battling relegation at 16th place with 34 points, alongside Murang’a Seal at 17th.
Bottom-placed Bidco United, on 32 points, remain mathematically in the mix for survival, making Sunday’s fixtures crucial for the trio.
Mathare, meanwhile, have scores to settle with the Kawangware lads after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture courtesy of Kelvin Etemesi’s 47th-minute strike.
Kamau’s men head into the tie on the back of a goalless stalemate against Bandari at Kasarani Annex last Sunday, a result that left the gaffer ruing missed opportunities.
“I don’t think it’s a fair result. I think we deserved more than that,” Kamau said then.
He pointed to a lack of cutting edge in front of the goal, devoid of their usual attacking spark.
“We did not create a lot of attacking chances in the final third like in our other matches,” he noted.
Despite that, Kamau was pleased with his side’s second-half dominance, even though Bandari threatened on the break.
“We camped in their half in the second half. The opponent deployed counter-attacking football to try and surprise us with long balls,” he said.
“All in all, it was a tough match against an experienced side and I am happy with our performance.”
Kamau believes the result sheds light on the team’s shortcomings and what must be addressed during the break.
“This result gives us insight into what to change for next season,” Kamau said.
One major concern is the team’s finishing, with Kamau hinting at a dip into the transfer market in search of firepower.
“Our finishing has not been good, and it is wanting, and that will give us a guideline on what we need to do for next season,” he noted.
Since the start of 2025, the Slum Boys have just five wins in 18 league matches.
Their wins include a 1-0 victory against Ulinzi Stars and Kenya Police, a 2-1 win against Tusker and Mara Sugar, and a 3-2 victory against Posta Rangers.
They have recorded barren draws against Kariobangi Sharks, Shabana, and Bandari, as well as 1-1 draws against Sofapaka, Murang’a Seal, KCB, and FC Talanta.
Their losses have come against Mara Sugar (3-0), Gor Mahia (2-1), Kariobangi Sharks (3-1), Bidco (2-0), Kakamega Homeboyz (1-0) and AFC Leopards (3-1).
City Stars, on the other hand, will arrive with tails up after last Sunday’s morale-boosting 2-1 win over KCB, thanks to goals from Benjamin Murimi and John Mwangi.
