Homeboyz coach Patrick Odhiambo pleased with Masaka'a commitment, hard work

Kakamega Homeboyz head coach Patrick Odhiambo is pleased with how goalkeeper Simon Masaka has been faring since joining the club.

Masaka joined Homeboyz in the mid-season transfer window, from 2009 league champions Sofapaka, filling in the gap left by Faruk Shikalo.

Until his departure to KCB, Shikalo was the preferred starter at Homeboyz, and his move forced the club to shop for a replacement.

Masaka didn’t hit the ground running at Homeboyz thanks to the competition he faced from Ugandan James Ssetuba, who capitalized on the exit of Shikalo and established himself as the main man in between the sticks.

However, Masaka appears to have won the trust of the coaching department, as he started the previous two league matches against the relegated Nzoia Sugar and Posta Rangers.

Odhiambo says the hard work, the Harambee Stars trialist, has been putting in training is the reason he secured playing time in the past two matches.

“He is coming up well. I am pleased with his performance, attitude, and hard work,” he told Mozzart Sport.

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Masaka has also been facing competition for the starting role from national U-20 goalkeeper Ibrahim Wanzala.

With the league set to resume this weekend following a three-week-long break, Odhiambo insists that winning the remaining matches is important to the team.

The competition had taken a break to pave the way for the Mozzart Bet Cup semis and the FIFA international break.

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Homeboyz will wrap up the campaign with matches against the Nairobi City Stars, Murang’a Seal, and Tusker.

“We have to finish the season strongly. These matches are important to us as we want to have a clear picture of where we are heading in the new term,” added the former Gor Mahia assistant coach.