Gor Mahia boss slams first half performance against Nzoia Sugar
10th December 2023
K'Ogalo were held to a 2-2 draw against Nzoia who were deep in the relegation territory.
- K’Ogalo found themselves down 0-2 within thirty minutes thanks to a brace from Nzoia Sugar danger man Mohamed Barisa.
- However, they were able to bounce back, with goals from Patrick Kudu and Benson Omalla helping them pick a crucial point against their opponents.
Gor Mahia head coach Jonathan McKinstry has described the
performance displayed by his charges in the first half of their 2-2 draw
against struggling Nzoia Sugar as the worst ever witnessed since he signed for
the record Kenyan champions back in July 2022.
K’Ogalo found themselves down 0-2 within thirty minutes
thanks to a brace from Nzoia Sugar danger man Mohamed Barisa.
However, they were able to bounce back, with goals from Patrick Kudu and Benson Omalla helping them pick a crucial point against their opponents in a scintillating match staged at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay.
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Reacting during the post-match interview, McKinstry stated
that both the players and the coaching staff have to take responsibility for
the awful performance.
“The first half is probably the worst we have played since I
joined the club. It was really pathetic, and we all have to take responsibility
for that, not just the players but also the coaching staff.Fair play to Nzoia
for taking their chances but let's be honest, we really gave those chances to
them.
I am not sure if any of our players challenged for the header at the backpost in the first goal and the second one we just got dragged really out of position,” he commented.
However, the 38-year-old added that he was pleased with the
fighting spirit his players showed to get back into the game, singling out
Lawrence Juma’s impact.
“Really disappointed by the first half, but we changed things around. We weren’t waiting. I think you saw Lawrence Juma had a good impact when he came on. He was central to the first goal just before the break.
In the second half we really pushed, had a couple of chances and scored the equalizer. So we did a lot better in the second half but we gave ourselves such a mountain to climb in the first half just because of switching off and going asleep,” explained McKinstry.
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Although he was not happy with taking a point from the club which is among the bottom-placed ones in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) standings, McKinstry noted that they will have to get their house in order and focus on the next match.
Gor Mahia will be relying on Tusker FC to do them a favor
when they play second-placed Posta Rangers FC on Sunday evening to maintain
their three-point gap at the helm of the log.
McKinstry ended by noting that they have to recover and focus on the upcoming encounter with FC Talanta since it will be a difficult one.
“Against Talanta next week, you know Ken Kenyatta drills his team remarkably hard. It is always a real fight and they have a better quality, they had a really good start to the season. They have got a few ups and downs recently, but we need to recover from this,” ended the Northern Irish citizen.
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