Ongwae hails impact of substitutes in Shabana win over Homeboyz

Shabana assistant coach Mark Ongwae attributed his side’s narrow 1-0 victory over Kakamega Homeboyz to well-executed tactical adjustments, particularly in the second half of their weekend clash.

Ongwae emphasized that the team’s approach after the break was deliberate and calculated, especially in light of unexpected personnel challenges.

“It was purely tactical, especially because we had a player who hadn’t featured in the league all year, and later we suffered an injury which forced us into deploying a makeshift centre-back,” he said. “The instructions were very clear—attack through counters—and I am pleased with how the tactical substitutions worked.”

Ongwae added that Shabana are using such high-intensity fixtures as a benchmark to assess their potential in the FKF Cup, noting that the team is keen to gauge how far they can go in the competition.

“We told the players we are using these matches to measure our strength ahead of the FKF Cup. We want to understand how far we can push ourselves. It was a tough challenge, but one we are ready to embrace as we prepare for our next opponents,” he stated.

On the other hand, Kakamega Homeboyz head coach Patrick Odhiambo acknowledged Shabana’s resilience while calling for defensive improvements within his squad.

“There are areas where we performed well, but defensively we need to improve because we are conceding very easy goals,” Odhiambo said. “We must reflect and decide what we truly want. We need to persevere. Shabana fought for every ball and deserved the win.”

Odhiambo also pointed to his tactical changes, highlighting that while his substitutions added attacking impetus, his side failed to capitalize on the chances created.

“We made changes to balance the team and increase our attacking options. In the second half, we created chances, even hitting the post, but we couldn’t convert. The substitutes did their job—we just lacked the finishing touch,” he added.