Gor Mahia legend blasts ‘protected’ FKF-PL strikers for scoring ‘so little’

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FOOTBALL Gor Mahia legend blasts ‘protected’ FKF-PL strikers for scoring ‘so little’

Joel Omotto 06:30 - 22.06.2023

The veteran forward feels he would have scored more than 30 goals a season if he played today

Gor Mahia legend Maurice Sonyi Ochieng believes his record of 26 top-flight goals a season would not have stood for 47 years had the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) had clinical strikers.

Sonyi managed the feat as Gor won the 1976 title but the record has stood since, with no players coming close, until this season when Kenya Police FC striker Elvis Rupia equaled it on Wednesday.

Rupia went into the match on 24 goals, one behind Gor Mahia's Benson Omala but went ahead after netting a double in his team's 4-1 win over Vihiga Bullets. He has a chance to smash Sonyi's mark if he scores in Sunday's final round of fixtures against KCB.

However, Sonyi feels the record would have tumbled a long time ago since strikers nowadays ‘have it easy’ as compared to when he played.

“Nowadays, players are so protected by the laws of the game. A striker who wants to score, once he has the ball in the box, he has to use his body to shield the ball,” Sonyi told Pulse Sports.

“Players right now, don’t know how to shield the ball or get past the defenders. If I played at this time, I would score more than 30 goals a season.

“There are ways in which you can score, as a striker, try to get into the box and then shield the ball because if someone knocks you it is a penalty. They also need to learn what you do in one-on-one situations because there are some strikers when in such situations, they don’t know what to do. They end up fluffing their lines.”

Omala also has a chance to equal or beat the record if he gets on target in Gor's final league encounter against Nairobi City Stars on Sunday.