Gor Mahia tackle Mathare United in KPL Under 20 final
What you need to know:
- K’Ogalo coach Maurice Onyango, whose team is making its maiden appearance in final of the junior tournament, is confident his charges will finally deliver the elusive silverware.
- Onyango hopes that Henry Juma, who scored a brace in the semi-final against Ushuru, will be in fine form against Mathare.
- Mathare U-20 coach Gabriel “Kingi” Njoroge has said they have a strategy which will neutralise K’Ogalo in Friday’s final.
Gor Mahia and Mathare United will Friday morning face off in the Kenyan Premier League Under-20 Championship final at the Nyayo National Stadium.
K’Ogalo coach Maurice Onyango, whose team is making its maiden appearance in final of the junior tournament, is confident his charges will finally deliver the elusive silverware.
“We have had our challenges. There are times the boys almost gave up because of our tight budget but we have agreed to put that aside for now,” Onyango said on Thursday.
“I have reminded the players about how painful it was to exit the tournament at the semi-final stage in April, and they are determined to win this title especially now that we have reached the final.”
To get to this stage, Gor juniors dispatched Ushuru 2-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday at Camp Toyoyo, while Mathare overcame Kakamega Homeboyz, runners in the April edition, 3-1 on post-match penalties after a 1-1 stalemate.
Onyango hopes that Henry Juma, who scored a brace in the semi-final against Ushuru, will be in fine form against Mathare.
Mathare U-20 coach Gabriel “Kingi” Njoroge has said they have a strategy which will neutralise K’Ogalo in Friday’s final.
“We are ready, that is all I can say. I know that tomorrow they (Gor) will have many supporters here and I have told my players to expect that. We shall use that to our advantage,” the former Nairobi City Stars coach said.
Youngsters Dennis Kamau, Mike Odhiambo, Alfayo Oyugi and Patrick Chege have been impressive for Mathare so far in this tournament.
The Ushuru junior team on Thursday claimed third position after edging out Kakamega Homeboyz 4-2 on post-match penalties in the third place play-off at Camp Toyoyo.
As was with the case in the first leg of this tournament played in April, the winners of the event will take home a sh500,000 cash prize, while the first and second runner’s up will get Sh300, 000 and Sh200,000 respectively.
