We will work on our discipline, Shittu assures

A late Sven Yidah sending off for Nairobi City Stars in the 84th minute was perhaps the only party pooper moment in the game when Simba wa Nairobi whitewashed Sofapaka 3-0 in a round 18 Football Kenya Federation Premier League match staged at Ruaraka Grounds on Monday evening.

Everything else had been nothing short of fantastical – three goals up by the 37th minute and a one-man advantage by halftime was everything City Stars had dreamed of – until that rush of blood moment from the former Kariobangi Sharks player that reduced them to ten men. Bummer.

Interestingly, that was the second consecutive game that the Sanjin Alagic-led men were reduced to ten men after Erick Ombija was also given his matching orders for an off-the-ball elbow incident on Frank Odhiambo in their previous league restart match against Gor Mahia.

Combative defender Salim ‘Shittu’ Abdallah, who put in a man of the match performance after chipping in with a goal and marshaling his team to a clean sheet with his vociferous commanding on the pitch, has, however, come out to state that his team will be out to ensure that the next successive games will see his team end up with their player numbers on the pitch unchanged come the referee’s full-time whistle.

“If you look at that second booking offense, according to me I think it was cheap. Because the player was facing away from the goal and it was just a slight touch on him. But we will work on that,” said a reassuring Shittu after the match.

With the sending offs, City Stars will consequently be forced to make do without the two players for two games due to suspension. Ombija already missed one game and is yet to serve the next match.

Furthermore, head coach Alagic will be scratching his head in terms of who will be replacing Yidah who has been the gas tank responsible for sweeping the midfield battles for Simba wa Nairobi.

With that somewhat show of indiscipline, Sanjin will be hoping City Stars will build on their win when they next welcome the challenge of a hurting Kariobangi Sharks side in a round nineteen clash set to be played at Utalii Grounds on Saturday afternoon.