Lynette Matheka @PeopleSport11
Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) Term Two games set for Kisumu Boys will see debutants Mbooni Boys battle heavyweights Kisumu Day, St Peters Mumias and Dagoretti in the Pool B of boys’ under 19 football.
Under coach Nicholas Mukula who has over the years graced the national games as a referee, the Eastern Region-based Extra County school are counting on the underdog tag to squeeze past the group stage to the last four.
Despite gracing the national stage for the first time as a tactician, Mukula believes his charges have come a long way and they have the fire within them to do more than just participate in the games.
“We are the dark horse of the pool and we will use that to our advantage. We are in a group that has all the heavyweights of the competition but we will give it our all to squeeze in wins and draws that will catapult us to the semis.
We have nothing to lose, our opponents know nothing about us and that gives us an edge over them,” said Mukula. Additionally, the tactician believes his charges have gained the much-needed experience from playing in tournaments since last year and en-route to qualifying for the national games.
“This team has been together for more than two years. Last year we were eliminated in the regional quarter-finals by Machakos School on penalties and we vowed to build on that setback.
We made it to the regional games this year as the runners-up but went on to beat Lukenya 2-0 in the finals for this maiden ticket,” the tactician said.
On their part, Nairobi’s Dagoretti is determined to make their second appearance count by clinching their maiden title and representing the country in East Africa where they intend to fight for a double.
Dagoretti made their debut at the games last year in Eldoret where they went on to reach the semis where eventual winners Kakamega School in penalties eliminated them.
“We have been on that stage before and we know what to expect. We are in a tough pool but we have prepared accordingly. Since the regional competitions last year, we have concentrated on playing friendly matches with various clubs within Nairobi and that has given the players the confidence to face the toughest of opposition,” said Dagoretti coach Joseph Makhoha.
