Gor Mahia head coach Johnathan McKinstry is expecting a tough game when his side take on Kakamega Homeboyz in the 2023 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Charity Shield match that is expected to act as a curtain raiser to the new 2023/24 FKF Premier League.The two sides, who will play in the match courtesy of being the league and cup winners in the 22/23 season, are slated to meet on Saturday 10 August 2023 at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani Stadium to test themselves ahead of the new campaign scheduled to kick off on August 26.The official curtain raiser for the 2023/24 Season!A Matchup Not to Miss! @OfficialGMFC 🆚 @FcHomeboyz 🕓 3 pm 🏆 FKF Charity Shield Cup 🏟️ Kasarani Stadium#CharityShieldCup pic.twitter.com/yaVLwLAgp1— Football Kenya Federation (@Football_Kenya) August 8, 2023 Just last season, Mozzart Bet Cup winners Homeboyz had the better record as they won two of the three matches they played in all competitions with the record league champions managing only one win.Gor Mahia won their FKF-PL first leg encounter 1-0 in Bukhungu while Homeboyz got the better of them in the return leg in Nairobi in a thrilling 3-2 encounter. Their tenacity in that match nearly denied Gor Mahia the chance to lift their 20th league title, leaving fans at the edge of their seats until the final day of the season where a 4-1 win over Nairobi City Stars got them over the line.##NAJAVA_MECA_7417192##In what was one of the season-defining moments for Homeboyz, they eliminated K’Ogalo in Kakamega on their way to winning the Mozzart Bet Cup and qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup for the very first time in their history.Speaking ahead of the match, the Northern Irish tactician said; “We know they are a tough opponent in the charity shield and we expect a tough game. Obviously, they got the better of us a couple of times last season but the games were closely contested.We are two closely matched teams and I think supporters should expect a really tight game on Saturday it’s going to be a really tough game.”AFC Leopards defender quits clubThe clash will provide an opportunity for both teams to kickstart their season by lifting silverware as well as to fine tune their patterns of play heading into the final days of preseason.The clash will also be important for Homeboyz who have a match in the CAF Confederation Cup qualifiers against Libyan side Al Hilal Benghazi on 20 August.The second leg of that First Round qualifier will take place a week later on 27 August.Kenyan quartet of Lokedi, Obiri, Jepchirchir and Kosgei headline New York field
