Mathare United centre-back Stephen Okola says total focus for the remainder of the season will play a massive role in the club’s quest for automatic promotion to the top flight. The Slum Boys are in pole position to clinch one of the two automatic promotion slots to the Football Kenya Federation Premier League. Mathare are placed second on the log with 43 points, a tally similar to that of Naivas, whose goal difference is better compared to that of the former top-flight side. ##NAJAVA_MECA_7891901##With eighteen matches remaining, Okola is asking for maximum concentration from the team to finish in the top two and return to the top league. Mathare were relegated alongside Vihiga Bullets last season after finishing second from the bottom but are well on course for a return. “We have to take a game at a time and remain focused. We are in the crucial stage of the season, where every point matters. There is no time to look at how the rest are performing or the rear mirror,” he said. NSL: Biketi confident of Silibwet Leons survivalThe defender joined the club in the mid-season transfer window from Sofapaka, marking a return to the club he once featured for in his junior days. Okola featured for the Mathare youth teams, with his last engagement being with the U20 team that participated in a sanctioned competition some moons ago. “I am enjoying my second stint at the club. The platform they offered me some years ago marketed me out there and laid a strong foundation for my first call up to the national team,” offered the player. Majaka over the moon after making first ever league start in Homeboyz coloursOkola, who joined the Sofapaka Youth team before being promoted to the senior one in 2019, admitted that the competition for playing time at Mathare was tough. The 2008 Kenyan champions made decent signings in the brief window, with Okola being one of the biggest names to have joined the club. “The team is strong, and everyone wants to play. I am looking forward to getting more starts,” he added.
