Former Gor Mahia FC forward Richdonald Bolo feels having managed to finish his degree at the University of Nairobi (UoN), he will have plenty of time to seriously focus on his football.Bolo, currently in the books of National Super League side Kibera Black Stars saw his side go down 1-0 to league leaders Mara Sugar FC on Friday.Olunga urges fast-tracking of Stadium renovations to avoid hosting matches outside the countryBeing his third season at the club, he understands why Black Stars have spent a lot of weeks in the mid-table, unable to enter the promotion-chasing pack and just good enough to steer clear of the relegation zone too.”We do have a good side. Black Stars have always had a history of developing great players and that might have happened to us midway through the season. We lost nearly half the starting unit to some premier league clubs. Restructuring then was another issue as the league was ongoing,’’ says the former Kenya U17 forward.Bolo, a Bachelor of Arts in Social Statistics undergraduate at the UoN, sat his final exams at the school in December last year- one that freed him up for a chance to pursue a life-long dream in football.##NAJAVA_MECA_8165844##His club, Black Stars, coached by Owen Makokha, afforded him the appropriate balance for his schoolwork and football, he says. It’s how he got through doing both.‘’One of the reasons I dropped down to the second tier was because no premier league club can offer you such a balance with schoolwork. Football has to be full time. After Western Stima, I opted to settle at Black Stars who were more than willing to offer me the balance and in return, I played my heart out whenever needed in league matches,’’ continues the 20-year-old who has hit double digits in the scoring charts this season, most of which came in the second leg.It was the collective hope that the side, who have stayed in the second tier for eons, would flourish this season but the mid-season exodus coupled with a few financial challenges rendered this dream unachievable yet.Bolo, however, admits that the side did its best with whatever was availed to the team during the campaign.”We don’t experience certain challenges that most top-tier clubs do. For example, we can never say we can’t make it to match day venues, however far, we have to travel as rhat has been taken care of. More can be achieved by the club though,” he continues.The former Gor Mahia youth and senior team player had his introduction to premier league football with the Kenyan giants and is eager to bounce back into the big league.Debuting in a 2019 Narok contest against Posta Rangers under current Kakamega Homeboyz coach Patrick Odhiambo, and through with school, Bolo has never felt this ready.”I wouldn’t say I am experienced enough in the top flight but just being present on the match-sheet for some of those match days instilled a lot. At Stima, I actually enjoyed a lot of playing time and there was plenty of shaping there. I personally feel I have done well in the current NSL season and it won’t be a bad time to bounce back up,’’ he concludes.The forward, who plays alongside such names as Alphonse Omita (Dhofar Club), Lloyd Kavuchi (Shabana), Geofrey Ojung’a (Posta), Elvis Osok (Posta) and Keith Imbali (Kariobangi Sharks) was also part of Coach Michael Amenga’s 2018 Kenya U17 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying team.
