Upbeat Gor Wrap Up Final Training Ahead Of Landmark Everton Tie
5th November 2018
Kenyan champions raring to face English Premier League side at Goodison Park on Tuesday in SportPesa Trophy clash
- The temperatures were the lowest they had been since the Kenyans arrived on Friday, with the city of Liverpool hitting lows of six degrees
- The cold weather seemed to have stopped being a factor as the players took part in an intense one and a half hour session with their head coach Dylan Kerr and his assistant Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno
- With the strict timing that the training complex is accustomed to, the K’Ogalo players went into the locker rooms to shower and change before being welcomed for a meal by the Everton staff
LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom- The mood at Everton’s USM Finch Farm was full of energy and banter on Monday morning as Gor Mahia FC went through their final training session ahead of their landmark encounter against Everton FC on Tuesday.
The temperatures were the lowest they had been since the Kenyans arrived on Friday, with the city of Liverpool hitting lows of six degrees.
The cold weather seemed to have stopped being a factor as the players took part in an intense one and a half hour session with their head coach Dylan Kerr and his assistant Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno.
The morning began with a small session of pig in the middle before the training began with drills to improve their passing shooting abilities, as well as sharpening their set-piece techniques.
Afterwards, the coaches split them into two teams and an entertaining 11 a-side practise match got underway with Kerr acting the referee.
“Training today was fantastic. The anticipation for the game is at its peak and the boys showed their intentions today on the pitch.
“I’m proud of the effort they have put in and I’m really looking forward to the game tomorrow (Tuesday),” Kerr told SportPesa News shortly after blowing his whistle to signal the end of the session.
The highly anticipated SportPesa Trophy match will kick off at 7pm local time (10pm EAT) at Goodison Park, as both teams do their final preparations in a bid to be crowned inaugural winners of the cup.
“In Tanzania last year we came really close but it was unfortunate that we lost 2-1.
“It’s going to be a tough game and they have home advantage but we have a game plan and as long as we stick to it, we are confident we can get a good result,” Gor defender Wellington Ochieng stated.
Biggest moment
With the strict timing that the training complex is accustomed to, the K’Ogalo players went into the locker rooms to shower and change before being welcomed for a meal by the Everton staff.
The Everton under-23 team followed suit and trained on another pitch at the expansive Finch Farm complex.
“Football is the same all over the world. The game doesn’t change.
“We have all prepared well and this is the biggest moment of our careers to get an opportunity to showcase our talent on the international stage, we will do our best to make it count,” goalkeeper Shaban Odhoji underlined.
Gor is set to take a tour of Goodison Park later in the afternoon and get a feel of the stadium before their defining moment evening.
Tickets for the game are available online and one can purchase them via the official Everton website.
The charges are £1 (KSh132) for kids and £5 (KSh660) for adults, making it affordable and convenient for all Kenyans in the UK to come and show support for the record league winners.
-Louis Kalinga is reporting from Liverpool, United Kingdom