Gor Mahia resume title chase

Gor Mahia are back in the hunt for the 2015 Tusker Premier League. This Saturday they take on Chemelil Sugar in an away fixture at Afraha stadium. The match is being played at Afraha because the stadium in Kisumu has banned because of its flimsy perimeter fence that is easily torn down by fans leading to pitch invasions.

Gor Mahia will be looking to pick up from their solid form in the first leg where they did not concede a goal in ten games and convincingly. And judging from the way they dispatched Langata Gremio in midweek match, Gor Mahia are focused and have not lost any sharpness unlike last season when they shockingly lost to GFC 105.

In action for Kogalo this weekend might be new signing Enock Agwanda who is the only player Gor Mahia signed. Paul Were’s move did not happen because his South African side is still interested in his services. Dan Sserunkuma’s return was foiled by a new KPL rule that limits the number of foreigners to five. While Rama Salim was approached by club officials but did not show any interest in returning.

Agwanda says he is ready to produce on the field.

“I have held enough training sessions with the team and even though the squad is yet to be named, I am ready for action if called upon,” he said to the Daily Nation.

In past years, Gor Mahia have signed strikers who though they excelled at other teams, were unable to perform under the high pressure environment that is Gor Mahia. One classic case is Ezekiel Odera who joined the club in 2011 after having been the second leading scorer in the 2010 KPL. He was unable to produce the same form at Gor Mahia. But Agwanda has said that the pressure does not bother him.

“Fear the fans? Even when I was at Sofapaka they still had fans but I used to score against them so what is there to fear? What is important is to deliver on my duties and grow in my career. Those are the things I am focusing on,” he said.

During the first leg, Gor Mahia won 3-1 and thus silenced Chemelil coach Mike Mururi who had insinuated that referees were helping Gor Mahia. Fans will be looking for the same on Saturday.