Gor reject Otieno savours delivering killer punch

Mathare United midfielder Daniel ‘Van Persie’ Otieno, who was once rejected by Gor Mahia, says it's always a special feeling every time he scores against K’Ogalo. 

The 24-year-old midfielder on Wednesday celebrated widely after scoring a screamer and the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Gor Mahia in a Football Kenya Federation Premier League match at Moi International Sport Centre, Kasarani.

Otieno was introduced in the 53rd minute in place of an exhausted Steven Kimari and he changed the tempo of the game as the 2008 champions won the midfield battle. 

The player was part of the Gor Mahia youth team in 2016 and was on course to join the first team that year before one of the technical bench members and forces within the club thwarted the move and went for a foreign player. 

“It felt very good to score against Gor Mahia in what I can say was a big game. After I got the ball from Gor Mahia’s defender’s miss, I saw the goalkeeper had covered up and that is why I went for the powerful shot from far,” said Otieno.

“It is true I was to join Gor in 2016 from the youth team but things didn’t work out as expected and I don’t have ill feelings about it nor do I dwell on the rejection tag. It is football and through dedication and hard work, I’m still determined to achieve my dream,” he added. 

However, this was not the first time Otieno was punishing K’Ogalo in a tightly contested league match. 

When a tight league clash seemed headed for a barren draw at fully packed Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos in 2019, Otieno then only 19 years old and debuting for Mathare, silenced the K’Ogalo fans with a winning goal. 

He headed home from Kevin Kimani’s corner to score the winner in 2019 after he came on as a second half substitute. That was the first defeat for Gor in KPL that season. 

On Wednesday, he also came as a substitute and netted the winner late in the contest.

However, this time it was the second defeat for Gor Mahia this season.

Otieno joined Mathare in the 2019/20 season from 2006 champions SoNy Sugar. After leaving Gor Mahia Youth in 2016, he played for Nairobi City Stars, Muhoroni Youth and Sony Sugar between 2017-2018. 

Despite a tough start to the season, Mathare United has been on the rise in recent matches and Otieno believes they are capable of finishing among the top 10 teams.

Interim Mathare United coach Samuel Koko praised Otieno who has netted five goals this season. 

“Most of the games Van Persie has scored, he has come as a second half substitute. I sometimes deploy him as a false nine because he has energy and pace which makes it hard for defenders to tackle him,” said Koko.