After winning the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title in his first season at Gor Mahia, head coach Dylan Kerr is focusing on making a mark in continental football next year.
K’Ogalo, who just won their 16th league title this year - with five matches to spare, have been struggling to go beyond preliminary stage in Caf Champions league competition in their three attempts in the last five years and this is what the Briton is keen to go against.
The path to what Kerr is targeting will require good preparation and a solid team that can stage a good fight against other top African clubs in the competition. Kerr says he has achieved the first target that was set by the club and the work is on to achieve other greater things.
“When I came to Gor Mahia, the club chairman Ambrose Rachier told me to win the league title as my first target and indeed, we have achieved that as a team.
“The next big thing that people expect is no doubt the continental football and we are keen on that. It’s all about preparation to be the best and it takes time but that’s something many coaches don’t get so, we have to prepare as much as we can to achieve the target,” Kerr told The Standard Sports.
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“We have worked on various aspects in the team and still things are in progress and we will be ready in good time to deliver at the big stage. We have to get the season done with the two matches remaining then plot well for next year where we will have a really busy season.”
Despite having a memorable season in the year 2015 under former coach Frank Nuttall where the 2017 champions in waiting pulled a league title unbeaten, the continental assignment remained a nightmare to the local giants who went down to CNaPs of Madagascar in last year both home and away in what was viewed as a dismal performance against a team they knocked out in the previous year before being outclassed by Esperance of Tunisia.
Next session will be another year where all eyes will be on Gor Mahia to get past qualifying stage and to put the club where it should be, the tactician says it’s all about hard work, getting a balanced team, preparing well and putting players in the right mind set for the big stage.
“I have the right players but we have to get a balanced team. The fighting spirit should be there where players see past the qualifying round of champions league but that will come with the right work, right preparation and a mindset. We have to put Gor Mahia where it should be and that will be achieved by everyone in the team having belief in what they do and passion in what want to achieve.
“As the technical bench, we have a responsibility to prepare the team in all that and we will do our work as required to achieve the best,” noted the coach.
Kerr, who has been in charge of 17 league assignments so far says: “The biggest motivation is honesty on and off the field and practice with a purpose and play with a smile - and that is in the players.”
Gor Mahia will be playing their last two matches of the 2017 season against Kakamega Homeboyz and SoNy Sugar before getting down to plan for next year.
