McKinstry ready for tough, bare knuckle title fight with ‘No thrill’ Tusker on Sunday

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 26 – Gor Mahia faces Tusker FC in a crucial FKF Premier League title deciding duel on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium, with head coach Jonathan McKinstry hoping his team can quell derby heartbreak with victory against their title rivals.

Tusker sit top of the Premier League log with 64 points, one ahead of second placed Gor and with four matches remaining, whoever wins on Sunday will have a huge advantage.

If Gor wins, they will move up top two points ahead with three matches remaining and if Tusker win, they will open a four-point gap.

McKinstry knows how tough this duel will be and how vital it will be for them to win.

“Tusker is one of those kinds of ‘no-thrill’ teams which know what they are trying to do and are steadfast in doing it well. With the way they play, we need to be at our best to be able to win the game,” the tactician said.

He added; “They have added some players in mid-season like Levin (Odhiambo) the left back who is really talented, they also have Ojok (Deogratious) who is back playing regularly but in terms of their set up and structure, there’s not so much difference from the first leg.”

“They are a very resilient team and play till the final whistle. They have scored several late goals and it has a lot to say about their mental strength and credit to them and their coaching staff. With that mentality, for us it is not just about taking the lead but remaining switched on for the whole game.”

Gor won the first leg 2-1 at the Kasarani Stadium and the tactician will be keen to complete a home and away sweep of the Brewers.

McKinstry also says he will pick the positives from their last match, a derby-day 2-1 defeat to AFC Leopards, a match he says the team played well and only failed to get a result.

“We will go in full throttle as we always do when we compete against the top teams. We always come up with big performances even though sometimes we don’t get the result. I am not worried about our performance but more of us being clinical and converting our chances,” McKinstry stated.

The tactician will have a full-strength squad to pick from and will have the advantage of having had a week more of rest compared to Tusker.

The brewers played a tough FKF Cup semi-final match against Ulinzi Stars on Saturday while Gor were uninvolved as they were eliminated in the Cup.

The tactician believes his team will be fresher coming into the tie, and they will be in line for maximum points.