Budding Gor defender Odhiambo grateful to Okumbi

Budding Gor Mahia centre back Frank Odhiambo insists that he would be languishing in the Division Two league had National U20, Rising Stars head coach Stanley Okumbi not brought him into the picture.

Okumbi's eye for upcoming talent-spotted the stocky defender while plying his trade with Bongonaya FC, a division two club based in Komarock and handed him a slot during last year's CECAFA U20 championships held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Odhiambo who penned a deal with Gor before crossing the border for the tournament where Kenya was eliminated by Uganda in the semifinals said Okumbi's call opened him the door to joining the record champions.

"Honestly I would still be at Bongonaya had Okumbi not considered me for the CECAFA tournament. He helped me expose my talent and just a few days after joining camp, Gor came calling. I had been longing to don the green shirt since childhood and I couldn't resist the offer from Kógalo," he said.

Odhiambo who prior to joining Bongonaya had a brief stint with the Nakuru based Bucks in the meantime said he was patiently waiting for his chance to prove a point to coach Carlos Vaz Pinto.

Since completing his move to Gor, Odhiambo is yet to make his debut owing to the competition from the quartet of Harun Shakava, Charles Momanyi, Joachim Oluoch and Andrew Juma who all boast of top-flight experience spanning over three seasons.

"I took my chance in the U20 team and I believe when the coach will give me the moment, I will reward him with a selection headache in the central defence pairing. I have been learning from the seasoned defenders at the club and when the right time comes, I will put it in practice and justify why I joined the club," he expressed.

The 20-year old looks up to Gor skipper Shakava whom he hailed for winning a host of titles with them before heading to Zambia for greener pastures. Shakava returned to Gor in February and was handed the armband last month in an internal reshuffle which saw Kenneth Muguna relinquish the leadership roles to the former.