Resurgent Mathare United might have handed record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia a shock 2-1 loss on Wednesday afternoon to prevent the current log leaders from opening a seven-point gap at the top of the table, but K’Ogalo boss Johnathan McKinstry was not left too much downcast by the result.Having been only their second loss of the season in the entire first leg, a result that curtailed their eleven-match unbeaten streak, McKinstry, while admitting to having a poor day in office, hailed his charges for the impressive character they have shown so far from the start of the campaign till the midway point.##NAJAVA_MECA_7065034##Giant slaying Mathare United bring high flying K’Ogalo back to earthMaking his assessment after the defeat, the former Uganda Cranes head coach lauded his side for being able to get themselves to where they currently have a four-point lead at the top of the table at the end of the first leg as he backed his team to challenge for the title even more aggressively in the second half. “Overall it was a disappointing day for us because we were quite flat. Even the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game felt a little bit like a preseason game in the sense that there wasn’t quite the tempo and the intensity that we are used to in the league games.FULL TIME: Mathare Utd 2 – 1 Gor Mahia Before and after the game – Nkt… hata hatujaskia vibaya. #Sirkal | #GorFansClub pic.twitter.com/zW9p55EYBt— GOR FANS CLUB (@OfficialGMFC) March 1, 2023 We just have to pick ourselves up now. I think if anyone had said to any team in the league if they would take being in first place four points ahead of their next rival, anyone would take it.We are disappointed but we cannot forget how far the boys have come and we are in a good position to attack the second half of the season,” the coach told Mozzart Sport.Gor Mahia’s Renaissance:Gor Mahia leads the FKF Premier league standings, on course to clinch the title if the 19-time champions maintain their current trajectory#NTVTonight @elijah_ouko pic.twitter.com/CrEaaSjtLQ— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) February 28, 2023 In the match where Gor had the goal disallowed and hit the post on two occasions with strikes from Benson Omala and Boniface Omondi, McKinstry rued hard luck for their defeat as he credited Mathare for a brilliant showing on the day.“We cannot complain about the result because we needed to do more. We can also consider ourselves a little bit unfortunate as we hit the post twice and had one goal disallowed but at the same time Mathare defended really well and massive congratulations to them,” he added.Following the defeat, K’Ogalo now shift their focus to the Mozzart Bet Cup where they face Kibera Soccer on Sunday in the Round of 32.
