Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry rules Tusker out of title race

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FOOTBALL Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry rules Tusker out of title race

Joel Omotto 13:30 - 21.01.2024

Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry has given reasons why he feels Tusker are out of the FKF Premier League title race following his team’s victory against the Brewers on Saturday

Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry seems to have effectively ruled Tusker FC out of the title race following his team’s 1-0 over the Brewers in Machakos on Saturday.

Austin Odhiambo curled in a 21st minute freekick as Gor Mahia recorded a fourth straight 1-0-win, Tusker the victims this time round, a result that ended a run of eight games without defeat, including five straight wins, for Robert Matano’s men.

With the win, Gor Mahia extended their lead at the top to 10 points over second-placed Nairobi City Stars, who face AFC Leopards on Sunday, but must most importantly, 12 more than Tusker, and McKinstry feels Matano’s charges have lost too many games to be considered title contenders.

“That is Tusker’s sixth defeat of the season, no team has ever lost more than six and won the league in the last 20 years,” McKinstry told the media after the game.

“It just extends our position at the top and we have two weeks now until we play Police and it will be really another tough game but the guys are in great form and we don’t want to slip up.

“But even if we were to stumble, we have given ourselves a huge cushion after 19 games and you can say you can slip up but still be able to recover and go again.”

The Northern Irishman then went into detail of how they were able to silence a Tusker team that had come into the game on great form after winning five straight games.

“Coming into the game, our analysis told us that even if Tusker won 5-0 against KCB, KCB had around seven chances in that game so we knew, Tusker would probably give up seven or 10 chances in the game and that we would have our opportunities to score,” he added.

“The thing I am a little frustrated is that it was only 1-0 because I think if we won by two or three goals, then I think it would have been a fair reflection on the domination we had and the chances we created.

“If you look at the chances Tusker created, Kevin Omondi made a good save in the first half but other than that, he has not really made a save. There were a few blocks, crosses collected but I think the guys had done really well.”

Gor Mahia remain the only unbeaten team in the FKF Premier League this season and have accumulated 43 points from 19 games, conceding just seven goals, the meanest defence in the division.

Tusker, meanwhile, remain third on 31 points but that could change if Posta Rangers, on 29 points, win on Sunday and have given themselves a mountain to climb as they will need to claw back 12 points to catch up with K’Ogalo.

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