NAIROBI, Kenya, May 24 – Despite doing well at his Zesco United club, Jesse Were has not been able to replicate the same form with the national football team.
Last season, he was the SportPesa Premier League top scorer with 23 goals but struggled to score for Harambee Stars.
This season, having moved to Zesco in the Zambian League, the former Tusker FC forward has kept within the same form, scoring 12 goals in all competition for the Ndola based side.
He is now itching to carry on the good run to Stars and looks forward to the two upcoming matches, an international friendly against Tanzania and the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at home against Congo Brazzaville.
“I am glad that I have been in good form for my club but now my aim is to make it count even in the national team. It has been something that I have been yearning for and hopefully in these two matches, I can be able to make a start,” the striker told Capital Sport as he arrived on Monday night.
“I have been working hard in training and the coach has always believed in me and encouraged me. We also have a good team and I think that makes it a bit easy for me. But I push myself in training and in matches to achieve my targets,” Were said.
The 27-year-old arrived in the country alongside his Zesco team mates David ‘Calabar’ Owino and Anthony Akumu, with the trio having been an integral part of the team that has seen them qualify for the CAF Champions League group stages.
However, the Zambian giants have been on a rough patch, having won only one of their last five matches to drop second on the log, two points behind leaders Nkana FC.
Akumu believes the team will bounce back especially with the confidence instilled with qualifying for the Champions League.
“It has been a tough journey towards getting there. The incentives from the team are so big such that we just have to work hard. Discipline has also pushed us to the success and being foreigners, we need to show that we deserve to be in the team,” Akumu asserted.
The three are expected to play a vital role in Kenya’s build up match against Tanzania on Sunday as well as the AFCON qualifier where Stars host Congo on June 5.