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McKinstry, who is expected to lead his charges on a journey of reaching the CAF Champions League group stages, is optimistic that the feat can be achieved if players show character when competing against clubs with big budgets on the continent.
Former Uganda Cranes head coach Jonathan McKinstry is preaching positivity ahead of Gor Mahia's continental journey, having won the Kenya Premier League title.
McKinstry, who is expected to lead his charges on a journey of reaching the CAF Champions League group stages, is optimistic that the feat can be achieved if players show character when competing against clubs with big budgets on the continent.
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09:27 - 29.06.2023
FOOTBALL Kenya Premier League win was unexpected; we're ahead of schedule – McKinstry
K'Ogalo claimed their record-extending 20th league title on the season's final day with a 4-1 comeback win over Nairobi City Stars, edging Tusker FC, who lost the title by a single point.
"Our target is to win the first game and try and take it from there; as I said, we are going against teams that have a much bigger budget than us, and we can't be compared," McKinstry noted.
"Tanzanian sides have budgets five or six times bigger while you have North Africa teams (Ahly, Zamalek, Raja) who are spending transfer fees of $1m to sign players but ultimately."
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19:44 - 26.06.2023
FOOTBALL SportPesa, Raila Odinga deliver cash promises to Kenyan champions
K'Ogalo beat Nairobi City Stars 4-1 on Sunday afternoon to edge Tusker FC by a single point and claim the title on the season's final day.
He added: "A chequebook doesn't play a football match, it's the 11 men who step out there, and we have to see how we can navigate those murky waters."
McKinstry is confident because he has coached sides like Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda that have punched above their weight, stressing that the same can be done for K'Ogalo.
"It's something I have been used to, whether with Sierra Leone, Rwanda or Uganda," McKinstry noted.
"We often punched above our weight, Sierra Leone wasn't as strong, but we got to 7th on the continent and 50th in the world."
"So, I am used to taking teams and punching above our weight, and that's what we have to do as Gor Mahia and ensure that the chequebook doesn't count so much."
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He added, "But it's about the character and the talented players that step out on the grass."
Gor Mahia, who claimed a record-extending 20th league title, is hoping to reach the CAF Champions League group stages for the first time since 1992; the side, however, reached the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals in the 2018/19 season.
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