Continental hopefuls Gor Mahia are sweating on the fitness of midfielder Alpha Onyango ahead of their crucial Mashemeji Derby tie against AFC Leopards in the Football Kenya Federation Cup final taking place this Sunday.Alpha, who has cemented a starting berth in the team since being entrusted by head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto, went off injured after just ten minutes in their barren draw against Wazito last week on Wednesday. The player replaced by John Macharia after a back injury suffered after colliding with one of the Wazito players.Attempts to get the player back to his feet as soon as possible suffered a blow as an attempted involvement in the team’s training session only seemed to have aggravated the injury, forcing Alpha to cut short the training session.Speaking to Mozzart Sport, the player, while expressing his disappointment, disclosed that a scheduled trip to the hospital would reveal the extent of the injury and the duration the injury it is likely to keep him out.“I am definitely going to miss out on the action for quite some time. I tried to shake it off in training yesterday but it only got worse and I had to leave the session. All I know for now is that it is a back injury but I am scheduled for a visit to the hospital that will reveal the full extent of the injury. I just hope that it is not something that will keep me out for a long time,” he said.The injury comes at a time when Gor are bracing to fight it out with their fiercest rivals for the only remaining ticket to continental football. The last time the two teams faced off in a cup match final was in 2013 where AFC Leopards picked a 1-0 win at Nyayo Stadium, Peter ‘Pinchez’ Opiyo, now with Nairobi City Stars scoring the all-important goal.Gor has however proved to be a bogey team for Leopards in the last five years. The last time Ingwe managed a victory over K’Ogalo was in 2016 during a league match played at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani. For all their dominance in the league, Gor are also looking to end their cup drought that has stretched eight years now.Winners of the cup final get a ticket to the CAF Confederation Cup.
