Williamson: No need to blame the goalkeeper

What you need to know:

  • The Scottish coach said he expects his players to have an easier time against Ethiopia.
  • A final squad of 20 players was due to be named Thursday evening ahead of the team’s departure Friday morning for Addis Ababa.

Harambee Stars coach Bobby Williamson has absolved goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch from widespread criticism he has received for his performance against Congo during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match last weekend.

The coach said the custodian’s jittery performance only tells half the story. “To be honest I think people like to over emphasize on negativity. He (Oluoch) had a few anxious moments but I didn’t hear anyone talk about the decent saves he made during the match,” Williamson (above) told Daily Nation Sport during Thursday’s training session at the Nairobi City Stadium.

“The public opinion court is always quick to pass reductive judgment but I think Oluoch had a good game considering that he was playing with defenders who were totally unfamiliar to him,” he added.

The national team will continue in their pursuit for success when they face Ethiopia in this weekend’s African Nations Championships (Chan) qualifiers.

EASIER CHALLENGE

The Scottish coach said he expects his players to have an easier time against Ethiopia.

“We have not had much time to prepare for this clash but the Congo game was very useful in fostering a higher level of cohesion among the players” Williamson said.

“I don’t know much about the opponent, and it is not easy to win an away match in this continent but we will put our best performance and hope for a good result,” added Williamson who will miss the services of Gor Mahia assistant skipper Musa Mohammed who has been ruled out with a tender ankle.

The coach however said he has enough defensive options in Lloyd Wahome, Aboud Omar, Edwin Wafula, Jackson Saleh, David Gateri, Brian Birgen and fit again Sammy Mejja.

Although Ethiopia are ranked 99th globally, which is 24 places above Kenya, Williamson said the statistics will count for nothing during the match.

A final squad of 20 players was due to be named Thursday evening ahead of the team’s departure Friday morning for Addis Ababa.