Mathare United head coach Frank Ouna is singling out for praise senior players for playing vital roles in the team’s recent rise in the FKF Premier League.United are on a three-match winning streak that has catapulted them from the foot of FKF Premier League table to a survivable zone, albeit with more work to be done to escape relegation..United have been battling relegation for almost the entire season and last week’s win over Kariobangi Sharks moved them to 15th in the log, they followed it up with a another win against Nairobi City Stars that further solidified their survival chances.The good run has coincided with the inclusion of three senior players, two of whom have been battling injuries and were seeing limited playtime. Captain Chris Oduor and striker Clifford Alwanga have been struggling with injuries while David Okello has not been playing much. They have however played a great part in the team’s success in recent times, Oduor scored the winner against Vihiga United weeks ago while Alwanga scored against Nairobi City Stars over the weekend, Okello on the other hand has been good between the posts. Their input hasn’t gone unnoticed.“We brought in the senior players, using Alwanga (Clifford) and the captain (Chris Oduor) more and more because the situation required cool heads and they are experienced and can take care of such situation. The training and the involvement of the seniors has really helped us get out of the situation,” he told Mozzart Sport.FT: Mathare United 2-0 Nairobi City Stars 10′ C.Alwanga, 68′ D.Otieno #MathareVsCityStars pic.twitter.com/bN4SZLGv0Q— Mathare United FC (@MathareUtd) August 7, 2021 Ouna says Alwanga has been training well and was confident that the striker would soon score after a year-long struggle with a knee injury.“We saw it coming, even when he came on in the last two games, he has been threatening to score and I am not surprised that he scored. What has been happening is we have been creating chances but the junior players have not been taking them because of lack of experience, confidence and composure but when you have players like Alwanga it is easier because one chance for him is a goal,” he added.Despite the good run, Ouna admits that they’re not off the woods yet.“I think we are on a good run, we are not in a good position in the league but we are on a good run and any point that we get helps us get out of the situation, three points is a big bonus,” he concluded.Next for Mathare is a match against Bandari in Mombasa.
