Nuttall’s warning

The last time Gor Mahia reached the semi-finals of the Cecafa Kagame Cup was in 1996, but they last won it 30 years ago.

As a result, the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions coach Frank Nuttall has asked his players to put their foot firmly on the ground and make sure they convert their chances when they face Khartoum in the semi-finals tomorrow.

“We lacked the finishing touch in our game against Malakia on Tuesday as we wasted dozens of chances. My strikers are aware they must take advantage of any scoring opportunities by converting them into goals,” the coach said.

“Our destiny is to play in the final and win the title and this can only happen by beating Khartoum on Friday,” said Nuttall after seeing off Malakia of South Sudan 2-1 in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

The team did some gym work yesterday and had swimming sessions before resuming normal training this morning at the Karume Memorial Stadium ahead of tomorrow’s match.

“We must continue winning as we are among the top favourites for the title. My players keep on improving on a daily basis and we are looking forward to a tight semi-final clash,” Nuttall said.

Erick Ochieng’, who attended the post-match press conference said morale was high at the team camp after the win on Tuesday.

“We have the weapons to fight against Khartoum and we are ready for them,” said Ochieng’. However, Khartoum’s midfielder and Kenyan export Anthony Akumu said tomorrow’s match would not be easy for any team.

“As a team, we are well prepared to face Gor Mahia in the semi-final and the secret is to score early goals and defend to the end,” said the Harambee Stars player.

Meanwhile, former Gor Mahia coach Zradvko Logarusic has not forgotten how close they came to winning the 2013 KPL.

After winning 14 matches in a row, Gor Mahia needed to beat Thika United in the last match to be crowned champions but it was not to be after the fixture ended in a 1-1 tie.

Three years later, Logarusic, who is now at AFC Leopards, says it would be another disaster if Gor Mahia does not win the Cecafa club competition. “Gor Mahia’s good performance in Tanzania is a good thing for Kenyan football. If they eventually win the trophy, it will lift standards of local football. On the other hand, a loss would be a disaster.

“It would remind me of 2013 when I was at the club and we came so close to winning the KPL title only to fall at the last hurdle,” he said.

He added: “When I joined Gor Mahia then, we won 14 matches in a row only to lose when it mattered. It was a painful experience that I would not want repeated.”

Logarusic added that a Gor Mahia win in Tanzania will raise their status in the region as they will be viewed as regional giants.

“Gor Mahia have dominated local football for long. It is now time for them to prove that they are not just local champions but can do well in the region,” he pointed out.

The Croat believes Gor Mahia have everything to enable them win the trophy and with luck they should do it.

“They have one of the best attacking forces in the tournament, but sometimes in a tournament like this you need some luck to win,” he said.