The closing events of Mathare United’s win over Wazito on Saturday afternoon had a similar feel to the club’s last win before then – when they mounted a comeback to win 2-1 against Kariobangi Sharks.A flicked header from a long throw-in inside the last ten minutes of the game was the winner on both occasions.The goal scorer too was the same, and in a similar situation before the game started.##NAJAVA_MECA_7049886##Daniel Otieno was on Saturday introduced into the game in the closing minutes of the first half after Francis Baraza sustained a right leg injury and ended up scoring the all important goal that secured the Slum Boys a 1-0 victory that pushed them to clear off the relegation places.The 27 year old leapt infront of a static Wazito coverage to meet Brian Okeyo’s long throw-in before glancing his header past Obudho. That was a carbon copy of the goal he had scored just two weeks ago against Kariobangi Sharks.“I feel great to be on the score-sheet once again,” a delighted Otieno said after the game. “It [style to glance his header backwards and past the keeper] was intentional. It’s a cheeky way to out-do the opponent and I am happy that it’s working. It’s definitely the same technique I used to score against Sharks.”Fourth goal , fourth win of the seasonGod’s grace#united pic.twitter.com/KE7GzLctEZ— Daniel Otieno Okoth (@DanielOtieno_9) February 25, 2023 During the club’s recent decent streak – three wins in four matches – Daniel Otieno has surprisingly in all games come on from the bench, and Saturday was his third time to feature and score as a substitute.“One big reason we love him here is his attitude,” Mathare United interim head coach Samuel Koko said about Otieno. “For a player to come in as a substitute and still impact the game consistently says something special about him. I have never heard him complain or anything, he just shows up when called upon to.”For Otieno, he felt his upturn will finally result in a starting berth for him as he looks to achieve his target this season.Mathare United coach acknowledges loyal fans’ impact on team’s performance“More minutes would mean more goals,” Otieno said. “I am regularly checking my count and I believe that I’ll get to double digits this season.”Otieno’s best scoring season came two seasons ago when he scored a total of nine goals in all competitions for Mathare United. In the 2019/20 season, he went on to score six goals.Ecstatic about the opportunity to play in front of a growing group of fans this season, Otieno was thankful for the support shown, asking them to show up in even more numbers.“I see them (fans) every time and let me just appreciate them for keeping us motivated,” Otieno said. “We do this for them. Even now that we are making slight progress up the table, let them know that we will survive.“This team works hard every day. Things are looking up.”
