23/24 Season Awards: Why Matano takes the manager nod and surprise flop team

Curtains fell on the 2023-24 FKF Premier League season this past weekend with Gor Mahia picking up their record-extending 21st title, crowned with yet another new trophy from the league’s cabinet of horror collections.

The champions also claimed the Golden Glove through Kevin Omondi as Benson Omalla edged a competitive Golden Boot race that went to the wire.

In the relegation battle, Muhoroni Youth joined Nzoia Sugar in bidding farewell to the topflight while Sofapaka have theirs on ice as they wait to play a relegation-promotion playoff spot against either Naivas FC or Nairobi United who are battling for the second runners-up position in the second tier.

Below, we run down the star men of the season plus a side that is in it for all the wrong reasons.

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Defender of the season: Geoffrey Ochieng’

Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles. Former Man United Boss Sir Alex Fergusson famously said that. For Gor Mahia that saying has held in most of their title-winning seasons, this notwithstanding.

They had the meanest defense for the second season running, conceding just 20 goals across the entire season, the same number they let in during their triumph last season.

This number reduces significantly if you put into questionable context the four goals they conceded against Talanta FC – a result which has been put under scrutiny.

The record 21-time champions let in two or more goals in only three of their 38 league games, which is a remarkable record.

At the center of this was assistant captain Geoffrey Ochieng’, aka Simiti. His Simiti nickname means cement which talks to his solid defending. He doesn’t possess the flair of Rooney Onyango who also starred in the right back position but rare in Ochieng’ is a bad day in the office.

He deservedly earned a call-up to the national team and the next step is getting his first international cap which he will be more than deserving.

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Most Valuable Player: Austin Odhiambo

Austin finished the season as the assist king and the highest-scoring midfielder with 11 goals. For every other goal Golden Boot winner Omalla scored, Austin was involved.

The talented midfielder was already earning rave reviews while donning the white and blue stripes of AFC Leopards but he has taken his game to the next level at Gor Mahia.

He now has two winning medals hanging around his neck, just two seasons after leaving the rivals’ den.

It is only a matter of time before he becomes a regular in the national team set up, many hope. He grabbed an assist in his debut in the World Cup qualifier match against Burundi but was unused against the Ivory Coast.

We expect to see more of him over the next international assignments starting with the June 26 to July 7, 2024 COSAFA Cup where Kenya has been invited as one of the guest teams.

The question remains, how long can Gor Mahia hang on to arguably the hottest talent in the league right now?

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Goalkeeper of the season: Levis Opiyo – AFC Leopards

The rule of thumb is always for the goalkeeper of the season to be awarded to the keeper with most clean sheets – in this case, Gor Mahia’s Kevin Omondi.

‘Saha’ kept an unprecedented 20 cleansheets throughout a season where he missed only two games following his suspension for the red card received in the Mashemeji Derby.

I wrote about the events of that derby which ended in victory for Gor Mahia. Goalkeeping was at the center of that clash with Omondi sent off and Leopards keeper Levis Opiyo receiving more than his fair share of criticism for the role he played in that defeat.

Opiyo’s relationship with the AFC Leopards fanbase perfectly fits a love-hate description. He’s much loved when he puts in the shift and much castigated when an error sieves through.

The reason he gets the nod is how he has been able to filter those difficult moments and kept turning up for work. Leopards were in the wrong end of the table up until the new year and they must take lots of credit for wrapping up a top five finish when relegation was nervously uttered.

Opiyo has been an ever present and finished the season by saving a penalty in the win against Ulinzi Stars. Will that prove to be his last act at the Den? It would be unfortunate if so, but he should leave with his head held high.

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Manager of the season: Robert Matano

Tusker FC boss Robert Matano was a man under siege during the first half of the season. A run of just three wins in the opening nine matches of the season had the Brewers languishing in the wrong end of the table and Matano defending his job in every post-game press conference.

You could see the frustration in his eyes but he, more than anyone else, knew why he remains the most successful coach in the history of the Kenyan topflight with four titles.

That he managed to drive the 12-time champions to finish as runners-up, just 8 points behind Gor Mahia didn’t come as a surprise. They matched Gor Mahia stride for stride in the last 10 games of the season and any slip-ups by the champions could have led to a different outcome.

Credit goes to the veteran tactician who I do feel deserves another chance with the national team. The odds of that happening though…

Shout out also goes to Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo for doing what looked improbable by keeping Shabana up.

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Flop of the season: Ulinzi Stars

The military side was until the last couple of seasons one of the most feared and competitive outfits in the Kenyan topflight. But gone are the days.

And also gone are the desire and grit of yesteryear players like Eric Apul, Mohamed ‘Rio’ Hassan, Mulinge Ndeto, Stephen Ocholla and Stephen Waruru. These were real soldiers who loved to battle and looked forward to it.

Today, they have become a bottom half of the table outfit, playing with absolutely no heart or purpose. They have lowered the bar even further this season, evidenced by the fact that they finished the season only three points above the drop zone.

Their goals, 24, was only matched by the relegated Muhoroni Youth and Nzoia Sugar while they lost more games than just three teams in the division.

This despite boasting one of the more intelligent coaches in the league in Antony Kimani. Significant changes are needed at the military base before the new season, and Kimani's position may be at risk.

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