Kibera Black Stars head coach Owen Makokha says enhancing discipline and enforcing a winning mentality in players has helped him get the best out of a team that a few months ago was embroiled in a relegation battle.Despite starting the season on a high, Kibera slipped two months into the season, which saw them record eight wins in six months, a performance that threatened their long existence in the second-tier.##NAJAVA_MECA_8045757##Faded by the results, Yamama’s management made the crucial decision of severing ties with the duo of Moses Onyango and Noah Abich, appointing Makokha and former Kenyan international striker Edwin Lavatsa to steer the Stars ship.A month into the job, the pair have managed to change the club from relegation candidates to potential promotion hopefuls as per the belief in Kibera’s dressing room.The club’s transformation was witnessed over the weekend when they came from two goals down to defeat leaders Naivas 3-2 at the Mpesa Foundation in Thika.Police Sacco Stadium to host Mozzart Bet Cup quarterfinals this weekendBut what has really changed since the former Fortune Sacco gaffer took over? “We have enforced discipline in the team from the first day of training to match day and beyond.”“Football contains a lot of factors, and among them is player discpline – that was an initial issue that we dealt with,” stated Owen.He adds, “Lateness in training and a negative attitude are not acceptable; we are modelling professions, and we don’t want them to struggle once out there.”Owen adds that despite facing adversity earlier in the season, he made the players understand that Kibera is their home at the moment and they should try to look at things in a positive way.“A lot is said out there about Kibera Black Stars, but that is not the reality at the club. Therefore, when I came in, we had to make the players feel they were in the right place, and all the focus should be solely on Kibera,” he told Mozzart Sport. Makokha, who joined Kibera from Football Kenya Federation Division One Side Equity FC, noted that the team’s 2-0 win over Silibwet Leons was the turning point as they managed to secure their first win in over a month.“The turning point was the game against Silibwet. I was less than 48 hours into the team, but we managed to get the first win after almost a whole month without a win. It did help in bringing the confidence back to the boys.”Junior Starlets coach Mildred Cheche settles on familiar names as third round tie beckonsWith eleven games to the conclusion of the campaign, Makokha aims to cultivate a winning mentality in his players, as he believes there is still a chance for Kibera to secure a top-three finish if they manage to win all the pending games.
