Gor Mahia head coach Johnathan McKinstry wants his charges to perform in a manner that reflects the club’s monumental status.
The Irish tactician went berserk after the 20-time Kenyan Premier League champions soaked in their first defeat of the season at the hands of Kenya Police who thrashed them 3-1 at the Police Sacco Stadium.
In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, McKinstry ruthlessly tore into his squad for failing to rise to the occasion at a crucial time when the competition has started gathering momentum.
“We can’t afford to play like that again if we are serious about winning the league title. We had opened a comfortable 10-point league a fortnight ago but the defeat has reduced our lead to seven now. Any further flop could prove detrimental to our title charge,” McKinistry remarked.
McKinstry singled out glaring deficiencies in the midfield that cost them their last tie, saying they would put their nose to the grindstone and refine their act before their next league encounter.
“It’s all about making all the departments tighter than they presently look. There’s some amount of work to be done in polishing the squad and I believe we only require a few drills to perfect our act,” McKinistry stated.
“We are also considering the possibility of rotating the squad given the depth that we already have in place. I’ve noticed on several occasions that fatigue usually sets in at some point in time,” he added.
McKinstry asked his players to cultivate more confidence, saying doing so would give them the necessary composure to tackle their opponents effectively in matches.
“Some players look so timid and afraid of asking for the ball. For instance against the Police, we did little to assert authority in ball possession. Our midfield especially appeared disjointed.”
He reiterated their desire to bag their 21st consecutive league title. “Our resolve is still the same. We are determined to clinch the title again this season,” said McKinstry.
Meanwhile, Benson Omalla will remain at the club for the rest of the season after his much-touted move to Algerian Jeunesse Sportive de la Saoura fell through at the eleventh hour.
Reports indicate that the Algerian club landed the signature of a Cameroonian striker after Gor took too long to strike a middle ground with the club over the striker’s signature.
Omalla, 22, had been offered Sh1.3 million per month while Gor was meant to pocket Sh3 million from the deal.
The Kisumu Day alumnus is this season’s Kenyan Premier League top scorer with nine goals.
He last featured for the record champions during their 3-1 loss to Police at the Police Sacco Stadium on Saturday.
