Gor Mahia out to pile more misery on struggling Kenya Police in the battle of ‘Sirkal vs Serikali’

© Kenya Police & Gor Mahia.

FOOTBALL Gor Mahia out to pile more misery on struggling Kenya Police in the battle of ‘Sirkal vs Serikali’

Joel Omotto 08:00 - 05.11.2023

Gor Mahia can kill off Kenya Police’s slim title ambitions with a victory in Sunday's FKF Premier League clash and increase pressure on former coach Zdravko Logarusic

Gor Mahia will seek to protect their unbeaten run when they host struggling Kenya Police FC  in a Football Kenya Federation Premier League match on Sunday.

Gor have not been playing free-glowing football but they have still got the job done, something that Sunday’s opponents have lacked this season.

Police, who stayed true to their big spending habits, were tipped to be among the title favourites but have looked anything but in the first nine matches and they face Gor while stuck in 13th position on the table and already 10 points behind leaders Posta Rangers and nine adrift of Gor.

The law enforcers parted ways with Francis Baraza and installed former Gor and AFC Leopards coach Zdravko Logarusic whose honeymoon ended as quickly as it began since after starting with back-to-back wins, he has overseen two defeats and a draw in the subsequent three games.

The Croatian would therefore not have wished for a tough opponent like Gor to face under the circumstances but he will need to come up with the magic of breaking down a tough defence that has conceded just four goals so far, the joint best in the division.

Anything short of a win will ramp up the pressure even this early in his tenure and given what has been witnessed at ‘Police Saint-German’ in the recent past, patience is not one of their virtues.

Gor meanwhile have no such troubles. Coach Johnathan McKinstry has silenced his critics with positive results even if the football has not be as entertaining as some fans would have wished.

To his credit, the Northern Irishman has found a way to win even when not playing well and is also coping well with a mounting injury list.

McKinstry had to do without Rwandan defender Emery Bayisenge for the last two matches while Rwandan forward Patrick Sibomana and Ugandan midfielder Rogers Mugisha did not make it for Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Shabana.

The trio could still miss Sunday’s game and it will be interesting to see how the coach shuffles his park but maximum points will still be expected, especially against an out of form opponent like Police.

Gor Mahia bossed this fixture last season, securing identical 2-1 wins both home and away, and will be confident of making it a hat-trick of victories against the law enforcers.

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