The 2014 season is Ligi Ndogo Sports Club's first year in the Kenyan National Super League and their fourth consecutive season in the second tier of the Kenyan football league system. The Planetshave gone through the lower tiers of the Kenyan football league system and are now one division below the Premier League. The team started in the Nationwide League's Second Division in 2006 before gaining promotion to the First Division in 2007, where they remained until 2013. During that season, the team finished the season in fourth place, gaining promotion to the newly formed National Super League.
Season overview
January
The team was back on 13 January for pre-season practice, assembling on the grounds for the opening of its annual training camp Monday morning. Last season, the team put together a 12-5-5 record, highlighted by a five match winning streak in November including wins over K.R.A., Mahakama and Bidco United to sprint from sixth to fourth and qualify for Super League football. The team welcomes back ten starters from last season's side, including the team's leaders in goals, assists, most appearances as well as minutes played. Central defenderArthur Weyula was sold to newly promoted Premier League side Top Fry AllStars, while Leonard Ochieng and Edgar Lenox Odhiambo will feature for Provincial League side Kibera All Stars on waiver and loan respectively. Five-year veteran Machio was selected as team captain and will serve in that capacity throughout the 2014 season. Striker Thomas Lugera is back on the roster after going on loan to Coast United during the 2013 season. Right back Mikhail Mwaniki, the longest serving member of the academy, returns to the active roster after sitting out most of the 2013 season due to personal matters. Ten transfers joined Ligi Ndogo for this season. Among them was Kibera Black Starscentre backIsaac Omari, a replacement for Weyula, two other defenders, three midfielders, two strikers and former Planets keeper, Charles Ouma, who is back after one year at Premier League side Muhoroni Youth. In keeping with tradition, six players were promoted from the lower Ligi Ndogo teams. Right back Brian Ochieng and goalkeeper Douglas Aswani were promoted from the foundation team, while midfielders Kibet Kilele, Kamaru Waiyaki and Remy Sheikh were promoted from the under-17 side that has featured in the Keele International Cup in England over the past five years. A major part of the Planets' title quest this season will depend on the consistency of their back four, a constantly improving unit that conceded only 7 goals in the second half of the season compared to 15 in the first leg. The team will play its home games at its Ngong Road centre, where it played its last five matches in the 2013 season with a record of 4-1.
February
The team added one more player from the youth system, , and dropped two more before the final team hand-over deadline. 2012 top scorer Vincent Okoth returned to the roster and was joined by Clifford Ouma and Obadiah Ndege, who is on loan from Posta Rangers. Brillian Ochieng also returned to the squad, while goalkeeper Tom Muthomi was released to Nairobi Stima. Ligi Ndogo had its first friendly game against the Academy side and lost 2-1 before bouncing back to beat Iron Strikers 4-0. In a subsequent rematch, it beat the Academy team 1-0. The team played three more pre-season friendlies in anticipation of the start of the National Super League. However, the kick-off was postponed by a week due to a series of new rules that teams had to comply with.
March
On 15 March, the Planets won their first match of the 2014 National Super League and went top of the league in the first week of action. Brian Yator's hat trick pushed his goal tally to eight in seven matches. On 23 March the Planets went down 3-0 to Posta Rangers, their first league defeat by two goals or more since 14 October 2012. Goalkeeper Charles Ouma aggravated a knee injury and was ruled out for six weeks. The Planets held Kariobangi Sharks to a 1-1 draw with a late penalty on 29 March for 4 points in their slowest start after three matches. The match was German tactician Oliver Page's first since taking over the senior team. He had previously joined the Academy as a technical advisor, and he now becomes the Sports Director.
