Mathare United tactician Francis Kimanzi has been named the winner of Fidelity Insurance/SJAK Coach of the Month Award for January.
It is the third time the former Harambee Stars coach is winning the award after bagging the first ever award in March 2016 and 2017.
Kimanzi, who received Sh 75, 000 and a trophy engraved with his name, claimed the accolade ahead Bandari’s Bernard Mwalala and Gor Mahia’s Hassan Oktay to emerge victorious.
Kimanzi’s side remained unbeaten in the month of January, winning four of their six league matches, drawing two.
“This is a real motivator but i have the entire club to thank for their efforts. From the playing unit, to management and technical staff we have worked smart and hard to achieve the results that enabled such a feat. I hope it spurs us to go even stronger so that next time my players also win,” the elated tactician said.
Mathare began the year with a 2-1 victory over KCB at the Kasarani Stadium before drawing 1-1 with reigning champions Gor Mahia at the same venue, they got back to winning ways at Ruaraka, beating Tusker FC 2-1 on 12th of January.
The Slum Boys did not stop there as they continued posting high scoring wins, first a 3-2 win over Kakamega Homeboyz and another 3-1 win over Vihiga United, they however ended the match with a barren draw against Kariobangi Sharks.
The former champions scored 11goals in January and remained top of the table going into the month of February. Under the tutelage of Kimanzi, the 2008 league champions scored freely earning them the name ‘title contenders’.
A rock solid defense marshaled by Roy Okal was supported by a strong midfield and attack which scored in five out of the six matches they played.
Cliff Nyakeya, Crispinus Oduor and Kelvin Kimani are just some of the players that helped Mathare achieve great heights in the month. They currently sit third in the league table with 26 points.
“We really did well during the short preseason and that accounts for the good start. We were able to string great performances in the first ten games or so before fatigue set in. We want to get back on track with the next few games and go for the best possible finish,” Kimanzi said while ruling out the possibility of beefing up his team during the mid season transfer window.