Mambote Finally Ends the Goal Drought as Shabana Beat Bidco Away

Finally.

After two painful matches without a goal, Shabana FC finally gave us something to celebrate again with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Bidco United at Wang’uru Stadium.

It was not beautiful football all the time. It was tense, frustrating and nervy for long periods, but honestly, nobody will care tonight. Three points away from home is exactly what this team needed.

You could feel the pressure from the first whistle. After the loss to Mara Sugar and the goalless draw against Ulinzi Stars, fans just wanted to see a goal again. Even one was enough.

Shabana actually thought they had that goal in the first half when Danson Kiprono found the net in the 36th minute, but celebrations were cut short after the flag went up for offside. For a moment it felt like one of those days again.

Still, the team kept pushing.

Stephen Ochieng stayed calm at the back while captain Dizzo once again led from the front defensively. Musamali looked solid and Wycliffe quietly did the dirty work in midfield. Byron kept fighting while Derrick looked dangerous every time he moved forward.

The attack still lacked that final touch for long periods though. Diallo worked hard up front but chances were difficult to create and Bidco stayed compact.

Then came the moment everybody had been waiting for.

In the 80th minute, Assis Mambote drove into the box and was brought down. Penalty to Shabana.

No one inside Wang’uru was relaxed at that moment because this season has taught us to expect drama. But Mambote stepped up with confidence and buried the penalty to finally give Shabana the lead.

Relief everywhere.

The last minutes felt very long. Bidco pushed forward, five minutes were added, and every clearance felt important. But Shabana defended well and held on until the final whistle.

This was not a perfect performance, but maybe that is what makes the win feel even better. The team fought for it.

The result now takes Shabana up to fourth place on 51 points with only two matches remaining this season against Sofapaka who are already looking destined for NSL relegation and KCB FC.

Player Ratings

Stephen Owino – 7

Did not have much to do for most of the match but stayed alert late on.

George Onyango – 8

Captain’s performance. Calm, vocal and solid throughout.

Wycliffe – 7

Covered a lot of ground and helped protect the defence.

Byron – 6.5

Energetic as always and never stopped running.

Danson Kiprono – 7

Very unlucky to have his goal ruled out.

Omundi – 6.5

Simple and tidy in midfield.

Assis Mambote – 8.5

Won the penalty and scored it. Match winner.

Derrick Oketch – 7

One of the few players constantly trying to make things happen.

Diallo – 6

Worked hard but had little service.

Remaining Fixtures

May 23: Sofapaka FC vs Shabana FC

May 30: Shabana FC vs KCB FC