Why did McKinstry try to fix what was not broken?

Gor Mahia midfielder Austine Odhiambo

Gor Mahia midfielder Austine Odhiambo celebrates his goal during their Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) match against Kenya Police at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on April 22, 2023.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • On a positive note, I am proud that our boy Omala is on course to become the highest scorer ever in our local top league. It is indeed comforting that that record is kept safely in our club after Maurice Ochieng’ “Sonyi” set it way back in 1976.
  • With 23 goals netted and a slew of games left, I don’t see anything stopping Omala from bagging the bragging rights to join this exclusive club of top hit-men. I wish the lad well and pray that everything works in his favour even as he chases this worthwhile dream.

Celebrated American novelist David Baldacci has a thriller by the name “Split Second”. In that unpardonable, Secret Service Agent Sean King took his eyes off the man he was protecting, presidential candidate Clyde Ritter.

In that split second, an assassin had planted a bullet into Ritter’s back, setting off chaos and pandemonium in the hotel room where it happened spreading nationally and globally. To the tough and seasoned Agent King, it was the longest split second ever in his life.

If Gor Mahia does not lift this year’s Football Kenya Federation Premier League title, I and many other fans will agree that the half time substitution made by coach Johnathan McKinstry in our match against Posta Rangers on the Sunday August 16 will be our “split second” moment.

Heading to half time, the paltry crowd chanting praises for K’Ogalo was upbeat and very sure that the mailmen were in for a slaughter.

The heady feeling was not misplaced considering that Gor was two goals up, both courtesy of our wonder boy Benson Omala.

From the flow of the game and all factors remaining constant, we knew we were going to ring-fence our table leadership at the end of the sunny Sunday afternoon.

Alas! We were in for a rude shock. With the two substitutions, Murphy’s Law — which states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong- took effect on Gor Mahia.

The energy dropped to near zero levels, lack of coordination became rampant and fans’ desperation took centre stage. On the other hand, a resurgent Posta ran rings around us and at the final whistle we were served a 2-2 draw. Barely three days later, Tusker overtook us on the log.

I will not join the many fans who saw some hanky panky in McKnstry’s substitution decision but I do join them in declaring that it was uncalled for at the very least and a self-inflicted misery at worst. I know the coach knows best but in this case, even someone watching a football match for the first time in their lives would have told the Irishman to hold his horses.

He would have simply maintained the original squad to the end of the journey because as we saw to our dismay, the changes had no effect at all. Okay scratch that. The changes had a very negative effect on the team and the end result.

May I remind the good coach that we are now on the homestretch and we need to batten the hatches as we throw everything we have at our opponents. However, throwing everything at our opponents does not include changing a winning team and bringing in others who spoil the tempo of the game.

We are at war and a very decisive stage of the same. This is not the time to tinker with the line up. We want results. We want nothing short of lifting the diadem at the end of the season.

On a positive note, I am proud that our boy Omala is on course to become the highest scorer ever in our local top league. It is indeed comforting that that record is kept safely in our club after Maurice Ochieng’ “Sonyi” set it way back in 1976.

With 23 goals netted and a slew of games left, I don’t see anything stopping Omala from bagging the bragging rights to join this exclusive club of top hit-men. I wish the lad well and pray that everything works in his favour even as he chases this worthwhile dream.