Gor Mahia and Kakamega Homeboyz have opened a war of words as they prepare to face off in the FKF Charity Shield Cup contest at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.
The curtain raiser which will open the 2023-24 season, will pit FKF Premier League champions K’Ogalo and Abana Baingo, who won the Mozzart Bet FKF Cup after defeating Tusker 1-0 in the final. Ahead of the fixture, Homeboyz coach Patrick Odhiambo has vowed to continue from where they left last season.
“We have prepared well for the curtain raiser and our mission is to continue from where we left last season, we beat Tusker to win FKF Cup and we want to kick off the season with silverware by beating Gor Mahia,” said the soft-speaking Odhiambo.
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“Last season we beat Gor Mahia at Kasarani (in the league), it was a difficult game but we managed to beat them with a late goal, I am anticipating another difficult game for both teams but as Homeboyz, we are prepared to lift the trophy, we know Gor is hungry for success following their expulsion from Caf Champions League but that will not stop us from achieving our target, to kick off the season in style.”
Meanwhile, K’Ogalo coach Johnathan McKinstry revealed a cautious approach heading into the fixture insisting they respect every team they face in any competition. “We don’t take Homeboyz for granted, they proved it last season by beating Tusker to win the FKF Cup, they also beat us in the title race, so we have respect for them, but we have prepared well to start off with a win,” said McKinstry.
“We will approach the game with a lot of cautious, we must be ready to defend and attack, and it will be a good opportunity for me to gauge my players’ preparedness ahead of the league season which kicks off on August 26.”
Last season, Homeboyz managed two wins against Gor Mahia in all competitions. After losing the first-round meeting in the league 1-0 at Bukhungu Stadium, Homeboyz recovered to beat Gor Mahia 1-0 in the semi-finals of the FKF Cup before defeating them yet again 3-2 in the second-round meeting of the top-flight at Kasarani.