Nuttall: Our spirit strong as ever despite loss to Azam

Gor Mahia head coach Frank Nuttall has said his team’s loss to hosts Azam in this year’s Cecafa Club championship final will not dampen the spirit of his players.

The Kenyan champions lost 2-0 in the tournament’s final on Sunday, and Nuttall says that although it was painful, the experience would not dampen the spirit of his players. Gor Mahia arrived back on Monday.

“The boys did a great job out there. They kept giving their best performances and were it not for a few moments of lapse in concentration, we could have won the ultimate prize. Contrary to what people think, we are not perfect. There are things that we must revisit. Things like set pieces,” Nuttall said.

So heart-breaking was Sunday’s loss that Nuttall stuttered during his post-match interview. “This year we just wanted to get past the group stages but the fact that we fell out in the final doesn’t make it any less painful. We could have won it on Sunday, but we didn’t. The opponent won fairly and you’ve got to give them credit.

“Now we have the league title to defend and I hope the defeat will not affect the players much,” he said afterwards.

After the final whistle, K’Ogalo players swapped jerseys with their opponents before lining up on their side of their pitch to receive their medals and Sh2 million in cash award for finishing second.

Tanzania’s Azam won their first regional trophy, something that gave coach Stewart Hall great joy.

“One thing I’m happy about is that the game did not stretch to extra time. It has been two weeks of intense action and both sets of players were exhausted. Anyone could have won the final match, but I think my players were stronger mentally and they were more confident. Our strategy was to present a compact defence and I’m glad it worked just fine,” he said.

Azam’s Pascal Wawa was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and K’Ogalo’s Michael Olunga top scorer with five goals. Gor’s goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch took the Golden Glove award.

Speaking on Monday upon arrival from Dar es Salaam, Nuttall said proper recruitment during the January transfer window and good management of his charges were the secret behind their impressive performance in the tournament.

The Scot said his boys gave “absolutely everything” but was quick to point out that they were disappointed not to bring the trophy home.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t win but I’m pleased with the effort of the players, the staff and the management of the club. The success we had is because everyone played their part,” the tactician who has guided Gor to an impressive 25-match unbeaten run in the domestic league said.

Nuttall also urged corporates to come on board and sponsor the team. He said: “If there is any potential sponsors out there, they should come and sponsor the team to help us move forward,” he said.

The commercial flight carrying the team touched down at 4.05pm, 40 minutes behind schedule and the team got a warm reception from fans at the airport. Olunga said: “My target was to score five goals and anything above that would have been a bonus, I’m glad I attained my target.”

The lanky striker, whose impressive performances has seen him attract interest from several clubs among them Azam, also took time to hail his coach, Nuttall, for building a solid team. “The coach instilled discipline and brought a lot of unity in the squad. He was the unifying factor,” he said.

Custodian Boniface Oluoch said he never expected Azam`s second goal to find the target as he had adjudged it to head off the mark.

Gor will now shift focus to it’s league title defence beginning this weekend.