Mathare United prepares to face off against AFC Leopards in a rescheduled league tie on Wednesday at the Ruaraka grounds in what is a must win game for the relegation threatened team.
A 1-0 loss in the reverse fixture followed by two other defeats of the same scoreline against Gor Mahia and KCB means that the bottom placed Mathare are yet to taste a win in almost four months.
Head coach Frank Ouna has shared briefly his game plan which he believes will have his team in with a chance to claim a first win under his tutelage.
“By all means we have to be solid at the back against Leopards or any other team we face here on out,” Ouna said. “We haven’t been able to do that in our games even though the effort has been there. We just need to dig deeper.
“We tried it in the first game against Leopards but only after they had scored. Now we need to implement the strategy from beginning to end. At 0-0 you are always in with a chance to win.”
Leopards won the first game played a month ago by a solitary goal, scored by Elvis Rupia inside the first 10 minutes. The game was Ouna’s third in charge and came just a week after his appointment.
Now a month in the job, Ouna has not had luck on his side in regards to the fixture list which has seen him face-off against three of the league’s top four teams.
“You can call it a baptism of fire,” he said, “In the space of a month we will have played five matches against teams looking to win the league. It is somehow overwhelming, but again in such situations is when you know what you are made of.
“We’ve lost those games as most outside the club expected but what they didn’t expect is for us to give each and every team a run for their money. Our performances were worthy of at least a point and gave us the belief that we can pull it off,” he added.
A win against the title chasing Leopards can move Mathare to within four points of safety.