Gor Mahia coach remains cautious despite being favorites against Bidco United

Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor could be forgiven for not having a bad memory.

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He remembers the first day he led out his side for this season’s FKF Premier League opener, a Sunday afternoon that was meant to shine a light on his philosophies, which would, in the long run, return Gor Mahia to their usual winning ways.

Instead, he left the ground a wanted man, having served up high possession football, but ended up losing anyway.

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Four months later, Akonnor is yet to erase the details of that 1-0 defeat to Bidco United in his mind, especially on a weekend when the two sides collide once again.

“In our first match, we dominated the game, but they unfortunately got a goal in the last minute,” the Ghanaian coach told the club media ahead of Saturday’s contest with Anthony Akhulia’s side, coincidentally at the same ground they played each other in the first leg - Kasarani Stadium.

“The way they defended, they were always deep. If they come with that approach, we will know what to do."

In the aftermath of that season-opening defeat, immediate pressure was placed on Akonnor to turn around the team’s fortunes.

Despite coming in peaks and troughs, the former VFL Wolfsburg player has done a decent job of rescuing the perceived sinking ship, and has K’Ogalo at the top of the league after 16 matches.

Comparing his team now, to the one that shot itself in the foot on 21 September, Akonnor said: “Our style of play has improved, we move the ball very quick, we do counter pressing, we are very compact, and we make sure we control the game.

That is what we are going to do tomorrow.”

Easier said than done, you would say, as despite Gor Mahia’s superiority in this fixture, they are still without a win over Bidco in their last three fixtures.

In fact, the last time K’Ogalo got over the Thika-based side in June 2024, Benson Omalla was still their marksman, and Rooney Onyango was moving up and down on their right wing.

“We know with recent history that they have been much better than us, but we are confident it's a new day, it is a new approach, and we believe we will do our best to get the victory,” Akonnor said.

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“I think this time we are a bit better than we were before, and if anything, in the first leg we were good, but we were not aware of the situations.

We will deal with this game as it comes, and we believe we are in a very good position to do a job and get the victory. We have prepared adequately, believing that we are in very good shape, so we will continue with the success.”

He hopes to carry better memories with him this time round.

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