Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry blames poor pitch at Ulinzi Complex for 'boring' game

Gor Mahia edged our Ulinzi Stars FC 1-0 to record their first victory in the new Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) season on Saturday.

The win notwithstanding, the game, from highlights and fans reaction, was not one of the best in terms of display and entertainment.

Yet, according to K'Ogalo manager Johnathan McKinstry, they resorted to being more direct instead of playing the short passes because the Ulinzi Complex pitch is not even.

"This is a beautiful facility that Ulinzi have, but the pitch is a little bit hard to play on; it's not like playing at Kasarani Stadium and we knew we had to be direct and give the ball to strikers earlier and I thought we did well," the Irishman said.

The former Uganda Cranes said that when it comes to playing on poor surfaces they apply what he terms as "Thika mentality."

"I think it (the game) was tense. I don't think it was one of the most entertaining games. When you come to grounds which aren't the nicest of pitches, we've got to play a different type of football, and it's going to be a little bit more direct. We call it the Thika mentality."

Former Nzoia Sugar midfielder Kevin Juma, a new signing for K'Ogalo, netted the lone goal from a corner kick.

"Man for man, we have better talent in the team. We made sure we recruited in the right areas," McKinstry, buoyantly said.

On his part, Ulinzi Stars new coach Anthony "Modo" Kimani blamed a blunt attack for the second successive loss.

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The Soldiers lost their opener 2-1 against Nzoia Sugar FC at Sudi Stadium, Bungoma last weekend.

"We lacked sharpness in the attacking third. We created, but unfortunately, we didn’t utilize the chances," the former AFC Leopards defender said.