Kerr's Ex-Teammates Arrive In Liverpool To Support Gor
6th November 2018
Head coach re-unites with long-lost friends in huge lift as British head coach prepares to lead his side against Everton at Goodison Park
- Since hanging their football boots, Kerr’s mates have since become scouts while others work for sports agencies and like many in Liverpool, will be at Goodison to have a look at the visiting talent on display
- Varadi and Sterland played with the Gor boss during his journeyman 18-year football career both at Sheffield Wednesday FC and Leeds United FC
- Kerr led Gor to a second successive SportPesa Cup success where they silenced Tanzanian league winners, Simba SC 2-0 on June 10 at the Afraha Stadium to earn the rights to travel to the UK to face Everton yet again
LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom- Gor Mahia FC head coach Dylan Kerr received a morale boost on Tuesday morning when his former teammates during his playing days as a right back arrived in Liverpool to offer his side support during their face-off with Everton FC at Goodison Park.
The record 17-time Kenyan champions will crown their pioneering tour to the UK later Tuesday starting at 7pm local time (10pm EAT) when they face the high-flying Blues who have been crowned English league winners on nine occasions.
Since hanging their football boots, Kerr’s mates have since become scouts while others work for sports agencies and like many in Liverpool, will be at Goodison to have a look at the visiting talent on display.
Imre Varadi and Mel Sterland all from the Football Agency Network arrived first, much to the elation of Kerr, who has since left his native England to take up coaching roles in different parts of the world.
Varadi and Sterland played with the Gor boss during his journeyman 18-year football career both at Sheffield Wednesday FC and Leeds United FC.
“I’m really glad to see my mates here who’ve come to show their support for my Gor boys.
“It’s great for the team to have people who can help them in their careers watching the game and I’m confident that will boost their morale ahead of the fixture,” Kerr told SportPesa News hours before taking charge of his biggest game as K’Ogalo head coch.
The pair were among a group of 12 who travelled to the match venue from the England, Scotland and Ireland and were later joined by Alan Buchanan from the Northern Ireland Football Agency and Peter McDonald who works for Assists Sports Management.
“It’s a pleasure to be here. Some of us haven’t seen each other for a while and coming together for something this huge is remarkable.
Huge performance
“We’re happy we can be here to support our friend Dylan who we’ve known for years and we wish his team Gor all the best during this historic match,” Varadi stated.
Kerr arrived at the helm of the Gor hot seat in July last year and watched the side, then under the command of his assistant and former K’Ogalo title winning captain, Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, lift the inaugural SportPesa Cup in Tanzania.
That earned them the ticket to face Everton on July 13, 2017 at the National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam and with Kerr making his debut, the East African giants gave the Blues a game before succumbing to a 1-2 defeat.
The performance inspired the affable Briton and his new charges to stream roll the competition in the second leg of the SportPesa Premier League (SPL) that season to reclaim the domestic title they surrendered to local rivals Tusker FC in 2016.
Kerr’s first full season in charge saw Gor remain unbeaten in their title defence until eight games to the end of the campaign when they were stunned 1-2 by runner-ups Bandari FC in Mombasa.
Undaunted, they picked themselves up to seal the 2018 SPL crown with six games to spare when they outclassed eternal enemies AFC Leopards SC 2-0 on August 25.
In between, English second division- Championship- side Hull City FC came visiting in May and having masterminded victory over Leopards in a one-off encounter dubbed ‘Hull City Challenge’ his team went on to force the Tigers to a 0-0 draw before they were edged 3-4 on post-match penalties.
In June, Kerr led Gor to a second successive SportPesa Cup success where they silenced Tanzanian league winners, Simba SC 2-0 on June 10 at the Afraha Stadium to earn the rights to travel to the UK to face Everton yet again.
He also led the glamour club to the group stages of the second tier CAF Confederations Cup for the first time in their chequered history, only missing out on the quarterfinals of that competition on the last round of pool fixtures.
Kerr also saw his side finish third in the regional Cecafa Club Championships in Tanzania to round off what was a roaring campaign at the demanding team.
With all eyes on him as he returns to his homeland for the first time as head coach, Kerr will be keen on improving his managerial CV further by inspiring a huge performance from K’Ogalo at Goodison.
-Louis Kalinga is report from Liverpool, United Kingdom