Gor laud sponsor support
Gor Mahia are gearing up for a tough end of year with matches against Kakamega Homeboyz, and City Stars looming ahead after sharing spoils with Bandari and trouncing Vihiga Bullets 3-0 in a span of four days.
Hoping to bounce back from the 1-0 defeat to Congolese side ASOtoho d’Oyo in the CAF Confederations Cup, K’Ogalo will be looking to stamp their authority in the next few games with head coachMark Harrison staying cautiously optimistic.
“We have a few tough games in December. Out of the next four games, I’d be extremely happy to take away 10 points,” said Harrison.
The Green Army thronged the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday, December 5 in full support of Sirkal as they took to the field against Congolese side Otoho d’Oyo for the first international match to be played in front of fans since the ban was lifted late 2021.
Harrison was thrilled to play in front of “the 12th man” for the first time since taking over the coaching mantle.
“Playing in empty stadiums has been difficult for everybody; it feels like a practice game half the time. The supporters being in the stadium made a big difference; the atmosphere was fantastic,” he said.
In the FKF Premier League Gor are tied at the lead with Kakamega Homeboyz. Out of the seven games they have played so far, K’Ogalo have managed to win five and draw two, and are yet to concede a goal in open play.
Harrison is looking to grow the team’s goal scoring rate aiming for at least two goals per game which he believes will be achieved by increasing passing and reducing delivery of long balls forward.
“I believe that we’ll be challenging for the win by the end of the season, and we have a squad capable of winning the league. I want to play attractive and entertaining football. I don’t enjoy playing the long ball game,” said the Gor tactician.”
Inspired performances
Entertaining football, Harrison believes, will not only result in wins, but also be a show of gratitude to the fans and stakeholders who have stuck with Gor Mahia.
Their sponsors, Betsafe have been responsible for a significant boost to K’Ogalo’s budget at a time when other sponsors pulled out, and the team had no gate collections because they were playing in empty stadia.
Harrison recognises that overhauling the style of play relies heavily on player performance.
Motivation in the form of the Betsafe Player of The Month Award from Gor’s sponsors has kept the players on their toes and inspired brilliant individual performances that contribute to the team’s overall growth.
“The support we receive from Betsafe is massive at the moment because we’ve not been having supporters in the stadium as sponsorships at the league level are dwindling. The Betsafe Player of The Month Award is a big motivation for the players. And Betsafe have sponsored the new kit as well. All round, it’s excellent to have Betsafe on board,” said Harrison.
With stadiums open again and 18 games to go for the rest of the KPL season, Harrison is appealing to fans to attend Gor Mahia’s games live, and is promising an “entertaining brand of football” that will put K’Ogalo in contention to take the trophy home.
