To paraphrase a popular verse in the book of Prophet Isaiah, in the year that (Zimbabwean opposition leader) Morgan Tsvaingrai died, I saw the Lord grant favour to Gor Mahia, helping them lift the SuperSport Premier League with six games to spare.
More on the late Tsvangirai and the Gor Mahia connection later.
What a sweet win this was!
Bagging the trophy by beating our perennial rivals, the kittens that call themselves AFC Leopards, was the icing on the cake.
Seeing the jubilant members of the "Green Army" burst in droves onto the running track in celebration some minutes before the final whistle was simple marvel.
When coach Dylan Kerr did a lap of honour in a thanksgiving trot to the multitude of fans who have been there through thick and thin could melt even the coldest of hearts.
The win was even sweeter considering that the British tactician had rested the big guns, bringing in what we normally consider the second best to square it off with our shemejis.
The boisterous and carnivore mood transported me back to the same Kasarani Stadium one evening in December of 1987 when I was one of the many fans who stood in silence of suspense before it finally sank in that Gor Mahia had lifted the Nelson Mandela Cup. Oh, what a joy!
My best recollection tells me that this was the busiest year for Gor Mahia since it was formed in 1968. With back-to-back matches in the various competitions we were engaged in, it says a lot about the skills of Bwana Dylan and the mental strength of our players.
When the dock workers that is Bandari cut off a bit of wind in our sails breaking our unbeaten run in the premiership, some of little faith had their heart rates increase in anxiety.
But as I said in this column after the unexpected blip, at Gor we are not lily-livered. The boys have proved that by lifting the diadem.
Now we turn our attention to the Caf Confederation Cup where we will be meeting USM Alger in a reverse tie in Algiers on Wednesday.
As coach Kerr told the travelling party, all eyes are on the first team to replicate what their kid brothers did to Leopards.
Back to Tsvangirai. Long before Morgan became a key opponent of then president Robert Mugabe, there was one Edgar Tekere who was a thorn in the flesh of Mugabe.
At Gor Mahia we had the two Obwaka brothers — William and Edgar. Although not as famous as his younger brother, Enock was the ultimate enforcer, always coming hard on his opponents more so if he felt you had played rough on William. For all his antics, Gor Mahia fans nicknamed him "Tekere."
So, here we are. On top of things. Literally. As the technical bench, the management and the 12th man — the Green Army — we have done our best. All hope is now left to the Almighty and the 11 men who will do battle in Algiers. God bless Gor Mahia.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Bagging trophy by beating kittens that call themselves Leopards icing on cake"
Post a Comment