Gor Mahia have the capacity to bounce back from their 1-0 loss to Otoho d'Oyo in their Caf Confederation Cup playoffs the first leg, head coach Mark Morrison has said.
Harrison made the remarks even as preparations for the crunch tie hit fever pitch at Camp Toyoyo on Thursday.
The British gaffer has urged his charges to exercise patience in Sunday's encounter even as they fight tooth and nail to turn the tide against their opponents.
“We are still in contention. We are at home and we have a great chance of progressing. We have to be positive and patient as well. We can't afford to get crazy and do silly things while searching for a goal. The two goals will come if we do things right,” said Harrison.
“Under the circumstances, a 1-0 loss was a decent result considering what we went through in Congo,” he added.
“Some of the things we had to endure are pretty scandalous, you know. We only had 11 infield players, I had one sub and that was the goalkeeper.”
“We played in 35 degrees, 90 percent humidity but I couldn't make any changes. The 11 players had to stay and do the 90 minutes. I take my heart off to them.”
The record Kenyan champions are also breathing easy after striker Jules Ulimwengu and combative midfielder, John Ochieng were ruled fit by Caf to feature in the encounter.
The club had expressed concern about the players' inability to grace the match after they purportedly contacted the Covid-19 virus before their first leg fixture in Brazaville.
“Good news! Jules Ulimwengu and John Ochieng' are on their way back to Nairobi from Congo after good efforts to have them cleared.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health on Thursday approved a request to allow Gor Mahia fans to attend their Caf Confederations Cup return clash against Congolese representatives, Otoho d'Oyo, at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
“Up to 10,000 fans are allowed to watch our CAF match against Otoho d'Oyo on Sunday at Nyayo Stadium (4 pm) following approval from the Ministry of Health. Let's do it for the team, your support is madly needed.,” said the club on their social media platforms.
During an interview with the Star on Monday, assistant coach Sammy 'Pamzo' Omollo revealed talks were on with the government to allow fans into the stands. Harrison said he hoped the fans would turn out in large numbers to urge the team on.
“The 12th player has a significant role to boost the team's morale during matches and their presence will be important on Sunday,” said Pamzo.
