Sofapaka talisman Umaru Kasumba draws inspiration from his four-time Golden Boot winning coach John Baraza in his bid to claim this season’s best scorer’s award.
The Ugandan hit-man has found the back of the net seven times and he is keen to learn from Baraza who won the award four consecutive times during his heydays to lay hands on the elusive feat after missing it for the last two seasons Kasumba, who was crowned the February SportPesa/LG Player of the Month yesterday, revealed his target of scoring 20 league goals and quench his undying thirst of winning the boot.
“I am lucky to learn new scoring tactics from Baraza who won the ‘Golden Boot’ four consecutive times during his playing days. His tips on how to put the ball past the line make my work easier and give me an advantage over the other strikers. I am targeting to score at least 20 goals and win the award after missing it in the last two seasons.”
Kasumba, who joined ‘Batoto Ba Mungu’ in 2017 from SC Villa, said the award would inspire him to step up his efforts and aid his side end their decade-long league trophy drought.
“It is a morale booster for me and the team in our push to win the league. It’s a challenge for me to keep on scoring since it’s paying dividends both individually and to the team.”
He further hinted of muscling for a place in the star-studded Uganda Cranes team for the African Cup of Nations. The striker was mulling to switch allegiance and play for Kenya, thanks to the limited chances in Uganda.
“If called for the national duty, I will take it even though the competition is high. I believe my performance will catch their eye for consideration in future.”
During the month, Kasumba scored in their 2-0 win over Kariobangi Sharks before netting in their two all draw against Kakamega Homeboyz. The towering forward wrapped the month with a brace against Mathare United to take his tally for the month to four goals.
He beat Bandari’s Yema Muama and Gor’s Nicholas Kipkirui to become the third recipient of the award after Kakamega Homeboyz’s Peter Thiong’o and Bandari’s Abdalla Hassan who won the December and January awards respectively.
Consequently, he pocketed Sh100 000, a personalised trophy and a 49-inch television.
