Muhoroni Youth seeking to extend good run against Gor Mahia
Football
By
- PHILIP ORWA
| Apr 22, 2014
By PHILIP ORWA
|
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| Muhoroni Youth players train at Moi Stadium, Kisumu, on Saturday. [photo:PHILIP ORWA/STANDARD] |
Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Muhoroni Youth FC will be looking to extend their good run when they meet champions Gor Mahia at City Stadium on Wednesday.
To achieve this, Muhoroni Youth had eight hours of rigorous training at Kisumu’s Moi Stadium on Friday and Saturday to enable the players get used to the Astro turf.
After the sessions, coach Francis Baraza and manager Mike Odongo said they were ready to face Gor Mahia.
“We brought the team here (to Kisumu) to avoid the rains that have been pounding Muhoroni area and also to help the team get used to artificial turf.
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“I’m impressed by the boys’ response and we are now ready for the Wednesday encounter,” said Baraza as the team left for Nairobi yesterday.
“We had two sessions, one in the morning, when the temperatures are high, and the other in the evening when it is cooler, to help the team get used to any situation,” Baraza told FeverPitch.
Inner perimeter constructed
Mr Odongo asked the Kisumu County government to ensure that the Moi Stadium terraces were completed and a strong inner perimeter constructed before the KPL second leg begins to allow the facility host league matches.
“Kisumu’s Moi Stadium is like a home ground – we know that we have many fans here and we would like to play some of our matches here.
“In the second leg we will face both Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards and if the stadium is ready and meets all the safety standards, then we will bring the games here instead of taking them to Nakuru,” said Odongo.
Franklin Osama, the team’s captain, said Gor Mahia is a team just like any other and promised the KPL champions a bruising encounter.
“We are not under any pressure. We have defeated Gor Mahia before and we consider them just like any other team,” said Osama.
“We came here to train and get used to the turf because most of our players are new and are not used to it but now the team is ready and we are just waiting for Gor Mahia,” the skipper added.
—porwa@standardmedia.co.ke