- Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor says the team will remain focused until the end of the SportPesa League 2025/26 season despite mounting pressure from AFC Leopards in the title race.
- Gor Mahia lead the table with 57 points, just two ahead of second-placed AFC Leopards on 55, although they still have a game in hand.
- They will play that game in hand on Tuesday, April 14, at Wang’uru Stadium, aiming to extend the gap to five points.
Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor states that dodging pressure is one of the key focuses they wil keep clinging to until the end of the SportPesa League 25/26 season, with their sights set on reclaiming the title.
Gor are currently leading the table with 57 points, but a goalless draw against Kariobangi Sharks in their most recent outing allowed their rivals and second-placed AFC Leopards to close what was once a ten-point gap to just two points
Ingwe now have 55 points, although they’ve played one match more.
ALSO READ: AFC Leopards revive title talk after beating Murang’a Seal to move to two points off Gor Mahia
Akonnor lays out the key factor that will drive Gor Mahia to clinch the title
Speaking to SportPesa Blog during a training session at the Kasarani Stadium, the former Black Stars coach mentioned that the heat of the title race is real, but they are trying to ease it, especially for the players who have not been in such situations before.
“It’s always good to calm the boys. Some haven’t had the experience of being in such situations. So for us, it’s very, very important to manage the pressure and settle them down,” Akonor explained.
Akonnor believes that even though they are top of the table, they will continue to be cautious and dialed in for the remaining eight matches and do well in all of them.
“Actually, we are still the leaders. We don’t need to panic too much, but of course, what matters is staying sharp and doing the right things at the right time. That means performing well in our upcoming matches, that’s all,” he added.
He cautioned that anxiety around the squad can be contagious if not handled properly.
“If you’re not careful, your players or whoever is around the team can get distressed and start panicking. We try as much as we can to handle it, to make sure they aren’t under any strain. But all they need to do is concentrate and do the right things. We’ve done it before, so I am not too worried.”
The 52-year-old believes that sometimes matches might not go their way, but with whatever they have achieved so far, they will continue to draw encouragement, get back on track, win matches, and keep clean sheets.
“At times, things won’t go well and, we don’t expect them to play wonderfully all the time. If we look at ourselves and what we have done, we’ve done very, very well. We’ve won many matches.
That should encourage us during this period and also remind us to go back to what we were doing that is playing well, staying sharp, getting clean sheets, winning matches. I don’t have any doubt about my team. We strongly believe we will do very well and finish very well,” he explained.
Tusker FC vs Gor Mahia rescheduled SportPesa League match
Gor Mahia’s next match will be a rescheduled encounter where they take on Tusker FC on Tuesday at Wang’uru Stadium in Kirinyaga County.
Akonnor explained that the importance of this fixture is to secure the win, reopen the points margin, and ease the pressure, adding that he respects the Brewers as they are a good side.
“We need to win our next match, which is against Tusker on Tuesday this week. That is very important for us in order to stretch and keep the distance. But with all respect to our opponents, it won’t be easy.
It’s going to be a tough encounter, and we must be ready. We’ve faced many challenges before and still managed to succeed. I strongly believe this will be another difficult test, but we’ll prepare well and aim to get the result we need.” explained.