Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla has vowed to continue scoring goals for the FKF Premier League champions if that will boost his chances of making a comeback to the Harambee Stars squad for subsequent matches.
The 21-year-old Omalla was overlooked by coach Engin Firat for Kenya’s friendly against Russia in Turkey despite being the current top scorer in the top-flight with six goals from six matches. His last stint for the national team was in March when he was subbed off against Iran in another friendly.
He has been overlooked for matches against Qatar, South Sudan and now Russia, and when asked what he needs to do to make a comeback to the team, the former Western Stima forward told a local online show: “My job is to score goals; that is what I want to do. It is hard, but as a player, you have to cope with everything. When you are doing well, people will talk; when you are doing bad, people will still talk, so it is just you and the mental toughness you have that will keep you going.”
In a recent interview, Kenya coach Firat was put to task to explain the omission of Omalla from the squad, and he said while defending the selection of his squad: “We have not closed the door on any player, the door is always open for players to come in or out, but what I want to assure Kenyans is I am confident that the current squad is fully capable of handling tasks they are facing ahead.”
Omalla’s great form this season came to the limelight during the Mashemeji derby against rivals AFC Leopards, where he scored a double to help K’Ogalo carry the bragging right. Asked about what inspired him to score a brace having failed to sparkle during the last derby that Ingwe won 2-1, Omalla said: “The other time, I got messages (criticising me for not scoring). You know I have been scoring in other games but if you do not score in one game, they start talking,” adding: “As a striker, that is my job. I get them from fans, some are my friends and they keep telling me to score goals in big games like the derby and I think they motivate me.”
Omalla continued: “As a player, you have to follow the coaches’ instructions. The coach has been telling me to ensure that all my shots are on target and make runs behind the defenders. As a striker, that is where I am supposed to be.”
He will hope to continue with his scoring form when K’Ogalo take on rivals Tusker in their next league fixture at Kasarani Stadium on Saturday.