Mathare United Women FC head coach Ann Aluoch has praised attacking midfielder Jerrine Adhiambo for her influential display as the newly promoted side made a winning return to the FKF Women Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Vihiga Queens.
The two sides met at the Kasarani Annex on Saturday afternoon with Mathare United marking their return to Kenya’s top flight after spending four years in the lower tier.
Despite falling behind early, Mathare United showed character to turn the game around and claim all three points in a performance that will give the team confidence as they settle back into the FKF Women Premier League.
Vihiga Queens broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Josephine Warenga capitalised on a defensive mistake to put the visitors ahead. Mathare United, however, responded almost immediately, with Sylvia Otieno restoring parity just two minutes later after being picked out by Iddah Adhiambo.
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The hosts went into the break level before introducing Mitchell Waithera, who made an immediate impact on her FKF Women Premier League debut.
Waithera put Mathare United ahead in the 62nd minute after receiving a well-weighted penetrating pass from Jerrine Adhiambo. The midfielder was again at the heart of the action late in the match when she supplied another superb pass for Waithera to complete her brace in the 88th minute and seal a 3-1 victory.
Adhiambo was subsequently named Player of the Match after an impressive all-round performance that saw her register two assists, two shot attempts, 93 per cent passing accuracy, three interceptions and three balls won.
Aluoch was particularly impressed by the Kenya U20 attacker and explained why she had expected a strong showing from the midfielder.
“With Jerrine, we were expecting a lot because she is a very talented player and she is a very experienced player in terms of playing a lot of matches, especially in the national team and Mathare United.”
The coach also highlighted Adhiambo’s understanding of Mathare United’s style of play, which proved important in the victory.
“Jerrine is one of the players that understands the philosophy of Mathare United on how we play, so seeing her movements back and forth, that was the strategy that we used on her.”
While Adhiambo was influential, Waithera also enjoyed a memorable debut, scoring twice to help Mathare United complete their comeback.
Aluoch was quick to recognise the youngster’s contribution, saying, “Mitchell Waithera is a very good player. Having played her first league match in the FKF Women Premier League, I think she has done well.”
The coach believes Waithera can become an even better player with more exposure at the top level.
“She is a type of player that once she plays more, she will perform well in this league. Having scored two goals in her first match, we applaud her so much,” Aluoch added.
For Mathare United, the victory was an important statement on their return to the top tier. Aluoch admitted that the team entered the match with a clear target of starting the campaign with maximum points.
“Basically, coming into the match, we knew it’s our first match in the Premier League after four years, so we were expecting nothing other than a win because the first match always sets the tone for the next match,” she said.
After spending four seasons away from the top flight, Mathare United are now determined to establish themselves among the country’s leading women’s teams.
Aluoch insisted that the club has no intention of simply making up the numbers.
“We are here to stay and we are here to compete because now Mathare was known for being in the top tier. We stayed in the lower tier for long, but now we are back and we are here to compete and to stay,” she stated.
The emphatic opening-day victory gives Mathare United an ideal start to their Premier League campaign, with Adhiambo and Waithera providing early signs of the attacking threat the newcomers can offer this season.