Ulinzi looking to march on with new boss Mwalala

• Bernard Mwalala was recently appointed new Ulinzi coach
• He has targeted to win the FKF Premier League title
• Ulinzi has won the league four times

Ulinzi Stars will look to quench their 12 year thirst for a Premier league title this season, and new coach Bernard Mwalala is the man they hope will deliver that.

Mwalala was appointed to head the military side after leaving Kakamega Homeboyz where he led them to a second place finish last season. Ulinzi had also relieved their coach Benjamin Nyangweso of his duties after the conclusion of a disappointing outing last season.

They had been working with former player Vincent Otieno as interim coach, before the arrival of Mwalala.

The former Kenyan international has finished second in the league on three occasions; twice with Bandari and once with Homeboyz and he now hopes he can go one better with Ulinzi.

Finished number two twice

“I have finished number two twice and now the only improvement for me is to be champion. That is my aim and I am glad the management look at it that way too. We have also sat down with the players and we are in agreement that is our target this season and we have agreed to fight for it,” Mwalala said.

He has now urged the players to embrace the new change and especially as he brings in a new system and style of play, different from what they were used to.

Ulinzi Stars during the pre-season tournament

“The transition part is the most important bit and the buck stops with the players. Our performance will greatly depend on how quick the players grasp our ideas and what we want to do as a team in terms of style of play, the system and formation. Flexibility has to be there,” says the coach.

Ulinzi played at the Elite Pre-Season tournament, where they exited at the group stages after a last day draw. The soldiers played three matches; winning one and drawing two, the last two matches being identical 2-2 draws against Kenya Police FC and City Stars.

Seen what I was looking for

“I have seen what I was trying to look for in the tournament and we have picked lessons. It was very important for me to have the team play in this tournament and look at all players. In the three games I gave everyone a chance and now I have an idea about my team,” said the coach.

He added; “As much as winning was great, it wasn’t the most important thing. Now we have an idea on how to move forward and what we need to do as a team.”

The team will now embark on the final round of preparation to sharpen weak areas and Mwalala remains confident that he has a good side. They have brought on board several new faces, among them former Tusker FC forward Boniface Muchiri.

They have also signed striker Hillary Simiyu from Nzoia Sugar and the two showed their worth at the pre-season tournament where they were scoring goals for fun.