Gor Mahia coach Asks Fans to Be Patient With New Signing

Gor Mahia head coach Dylan Kerr has called for patience with the club’s new boy and Burundian Francis Mustafa, who was signed three weeks ago from Rwandese side, Kiyovu Sports.

Mustafa made his SportPesa Premier League debut on Sunday in the ‘Mashemeji Derby’ coming in for an injured Jacquies Tuyisenge and Kerr tipped the lanky striker to find his scoring boots in the near future.

The Rwandese was brought in to replace his compatriot Meddie Kagere who left the Kenyan Champions controversially to Tanzanian side Simba in the June transfer window. And he made an immediate impact upon his arrival as he netted a goal against Vipers of Uganda in the quarter finals of the Cecafa Club Championship. His goal was very important as it saved the team blushes and send them to the Semis where they lost to eventual winners Azam in extra time.

He scored another crucial goal in the third place playoff against Jeshi La Kujenga Uchumi. The goal ensured Gor finished in third which came with a much needed sh 1 million shillings.

He was lucky to have his name entered for the Caf Confederations Cup, where he came in as a substitute against Yanga, replacing Ephrem Guikan last week and would have bagged a brace from two open scoring chances. But his teammates came to his rescue as the match ended in an emphatic 4-0 win to ensure his misses were not costly.

He said: “Mustafa is new in the Kenyan football and he is still adapting. I am sure he will soon be scoring at will. We have to be patient with him and so should the fans who have alot of expectations from him. I give credit to my players for keeping a winning rhythm and for the win against Leopards.”

Goals in either halves from Tuyisenge and George Odhiambo rendered Whyvonne Isuza’s spectacular bicycle kick null and void as K’Ogallo pulled 12 points clear at the top of the at the log with 52 points and three matches in hand.

Mustafa, is an already proven goal scorer. He scored 11 league goals, and 15 in total for Kiyovu Sports, in the just concluded season in Rwanda. His goals tally include a hat trick against AS Kigali earlier in the season and the winning goals in back-to-back league victories over Mukura and Amagaju.

Gor Mahia are preparing to face Posta Rangers in the Sportpesa shield cup round of 16 at Kasarani on Wednesday. This is one of the few domestic cups that has evaded the Kenyan giants in recent times and they will be taking it seriously this time as they aim to sweep all the domestic competitions.

The club has already bagged the Sportpesa Super cup, a competition they also won last year in Tanzania. The competition came with a sh 3 million in prize money and a ticket to play English Premier League side Everton FC at the Goodison Park.

They have only tested defeat once this season, albeit in extra time when they went down to Tanzanian side Azam in the Cecafa cup Semifinals.

K’Ogalo will return to Tanzania on Sunday to face Yanga in the return match of the CAF CC, a match in which coach Kerr has said, will guarantee them qualification  if they win.

But Tanzania has not been a good hunting ground for Gor in recent years. They have come back home empty handed on two occasions they have been to the country. A star studded side led by lanky striker Michael Olunga lost the Cecafa finals in 2015. They lost to the same team in the semis this month.

But they can bang on the fact that they won the Sportpesa Super Cup in the country last year.

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