Gor Mahia Head Coach Charles Akonnor has admitted that the team is fully aware of the pressure from the fans to win the derby ahead of the 99th Mashemeji Derby this Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium.
Facing an AFC Leopards side hungry for their first season double over their rivals in 26 years, Akonnor addressed the intense Derby Mentality and the heavy burden of K’Ogalo’s recent goal-scoring slump.
With a slim three-point lead at the top of the SportPesa League table, the stakes have rarely been higher as Gor aim to reopen a six point gap.
Akonnor admits intense pressure ahead of Mashemeji Derby clash
Reflecting on the 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Nyayo Stadium, Akonnor acknowledged that he understood the weight of the fixture from the moment he arrived at the club.
“Of course, that is the mentality of our fans because of the rivalry in between us. When we were unveiled, they told us to be aware of that. However, in our first leg we lost, and so it’s very, very important for us to focus on a lot of things that we haven’t done right.”
Despite the pressure, the coach noted a turning point in their recent goalless draw against Bandari.
“We believe in the boys, we believe in their confidence level. We are very happy how we played against Bandari, especially in the second half. We want to be focusing on those areas we can improve.”
With AFC Leopards sitting just three points behind them, Sunday’s clash is effectively a title decider. While Ingwe looks to close the distance, Akonnor is looking to pull away.
“They want to win, and when they win, they will come closer in points with us. We also want to stretch the thing,” Akonnor explained. “The team that is more focused, the team that is also lucky enough to have the chances to score will be there. It’s an open game, but respectfully we are more focused on what the team is doing.”
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The most pressing concern for the Green Army is a rare three-match scoring drought. Akonnor did not shy away from the frustration felt by the fans, promising that the technical bench is working overtime to fix the finishing.
“Well, it’s a big match for all of us. I know the bragging rights and all that, but you know, we’ve suffered enough not to have scored in our last three matches, and so we want to make sure we work very, very hard and to please them on that day.
Statistically, they’ve done very well,we managed t create chances, but we were not lucky enough to score.”
The league leaders have failed to find the back of the net in April ,a period that has seen them get two goalless draws against Bandari and Kariobangi Sharks and a painful 1-0 loss to Tusker at the Wang’uru Stadium in Kirinyaga.
The former Black Stars Midfielder revealed that he personally scouted AFC Leopards during their recent fixture against Kenya Police to identify vulnerabilities.
“We’ve assessed the team, their strength, their weakness. But what is very, very important for us is how we played in our last match, where we can improve, where we fell short in terms of scoring, and things we did wrong defensively.”
A win for Gor Mahia would push them six points clear with only five fixtures remaining.
An AFC Leopards victory would see Ingwe join their longtime rivals level on points shifting the momentum of the entire 2025/26 season while a draw will maintain the three point gap.