- Ulinzi Stars defeated Kenya Police FC 1-0 on Friday, with Boniface Muchiri scoring the match-winning goal at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
- Danstun Nyaudo revealed that one key factor in the win was Police FC hosting their home match on Ulinzi’s turf.
- Nyaudo acknowledged the pressure from poor results but emphasized he would focus on improving the team’s finishing, which has been a key issue.
Ulinzi Stars head coach Danstun Nyaudo has shed light on the pivotal elements that secured their hard-fought victory against Kenya Police FC in what was dubbed the Discipline Derby at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on Friday.
In a tightly contested match, Ulinzi edged out Police FC 0-1, with Boniface Muchiri netting the decisive goal.
Although the match was technically a home fixture for Kenya Police, it was played at Ulinzi’s home ground a factor Nyaudo believes played a crucial psychological role.
The victory helped Ulinzi maintain their 12th position on the league table, where they currently sit with 31 points.
The result marked a significant turnaround for Ulinzi, ending a nine-match winless streak that had left them desperately close to the relegation zone.
In addition to revitalizing their campaign, the win halted Kenya Police’s momentum and thwarted their ambition to widen the gap at the summit of the table.
Speaking to the media after the match, Coach Nyaudo pointed out what he considered a strategic blunder by Police FC: choosing to host the fixture at Ulinzi’s own turf.
They know (Kenya Police), you cannot bring your home match to our ground and expect to go with it. It is not possible. That alone intimidated our players so much because we were playing at home, even though we were technically the away team. That was one of the motivating factors we used to push our players and get the result,” Nyaudo explained.
The tactician went on to break down the strategy that led to the win, emphasizing their focus on ball possession.
“I watched Police play Kapenguria FC in Machakos during the FKF Cup and observed that they relied heavily on long balls. So today, we concentrated on keeping possession, and that control paid off,” he explained.
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Nyaudo acknowledge the pressure at Ulinzi Stars
Acknowledging the pressure he has faced during the team’s slump, Nyaudo remained candid about the challenges and what has been holding the team back.
To be a coach means a lot. You need to have a lot of endurance. people will criticize you, they will pressure you, but what we strive for is good results and doing what we believe is right. I think we’ve been playing good football, but we haven’t been scoring goals that’s been our downfall.,” he explained.
The Gaffer concluded by affirming his commitment to enhancing the team’s attacking efficiency.
“Now that we’ve started scoring, the work rate has improved, so we are looking forward to positive results. We’re going to work hard on our finishing because that has been our main problem.”
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