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The Nairobian

Africa Youth Championships: Williamson prays for 'Bobby' magic in return leg

Football

By Gilbert Wandera | Jun 24, 2015

**The Harambee Stars during training at City Stadium on Wednesday before leaving for Ethopia on Friday, June 17th, 2015. PHOTO/ JONAH ONYANGO.**

When the national football Under-23 team lost 3-0 to Botswana in the first leg of the Africa Youth Championships two months ago, everyone thought it was all over for the young lads.

But one week later, the Kenyan side overturned the scores and won the return match 4-1 in Nairobi, but bowed out on an away goal rule.

Two months later, Harambee Stars coach Bobby Williamson finds himself in an almost similar situation with the senior team, needing to overturn a 2-0 first leg loss to Ethiopia in the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN).

Speaking hours after arriving back from Ethiopia, Williamson insists they can turn around the scores and make it to the next round of the competition, which is reserved for home-based players.

Kenya has never qualified for the CHAN finals, now in its fourth edition, though their current coach guided Uganda Cranes to the event two years ago. “It is possible to win the match and go through to the next round, especially if you remember that we created a lot of chances in the first leg match,” he said.

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Williamson believes he has the quality of players capable of stopping Ethiopia at home, though he admits that the task would have been much easier, had Kevin Kimani converted a penalty the team was awarded in Ethiopia.

“If the match had ended 2-1, we would have needed to win by just one goal to go through to the next round.

Nevertheless, we will try and create as many chances as possible to increase our possibility of scoring goals.”

He also announced that he expects two Gor Mahia players Haroun Shakava and Musa Mohammed together with Thika United captain Dennis Odhiambo, to make the team ahead of the return match. “We want to strengthen the backline. That is why we want these players back in the team,” he said.

Williamson also defended his decision to keep out of the starting line-up the league’s top scorers Ali Abondo, Jesse Were and Jacob Keli, who came on as substitutes, insisting this was a strategy.