NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 11 – Despite a 2-0 loss to Tanzania giants Simba in a friendly, Kenyan Premier League record champions Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor saw massive potential in his side’s performance.
The Ghanaian applauded his substitutes for lifting the team’s energy and posing new threats for the opposition, especially in the second half.
Akonnor acknowledged that the first half was rather tough, and his team was completely dominated by Simba, who exerted control and took an early lead just seven minutes into the match following a header into the bottom right corner by Hamza.
“We did well. We were able to express ourselves in terms of how we want to play. We simply lacked a little bit of understanding on how we wanted to defend, and you could see this from the first goal, which was an individual error,” said the K’Ogalo gaffer.
He noted that despite the disappointing results, the attitude and effort after the half-time gave him hope.
Akonnor, who brought in Alpha Onyango and Lewis Bandi as well as new signings Fidel Origa, Felix Oluoch, and George Amonno, noticed a shift in energy from his side.
“The second half got me excited; the substitutions we made in the second half showed a lot of things we want to do going forward,” said Akonnor.
Looking forward, Akonnor says the performance offers lessons. He urged his team to maintain consistency, while also promising more impact from the bench.
With the beginning of the new Football season soon approaching, K’Ogalo will be looking to improve on the areas they were weak at and be better moving forward.
Gor Mahia, who will be seeking to claim silverware after going empty-handed last season, will open its Football Kenya Federation Premier League campaign against Bidco United on September 21.
