NAIROBI, Kenya, May 14- Gor Mahia head coach Dylan Kerr voiced his frustration at the match commissioner in their international friendly match against Hull on Sunday evening on his insistence that they should field only six substitutes while he wanted all his players to have a taste of the action.
Kerr had hinted pre-match that he would use all his players for the tie just like he did last year in Tanzania against Everton, but on Sunday, he was informed that only six of his substitutes would be allowed to play.
“I’m angry with the match commissioner because he said we could only field six subs. Hull City said we could play all 24 players but the match com was adamant. It’s a friendly and not a FIFA game so we can field as many players as possible,” an agitated Kerr told Capital Sport.
He added; “I’ve now got to go and pick up the lads and explain to them why they couldn’t play because I promised them to play. I hope the match com goes home and has a good look at himself and he comes back to explain to these players why they didn’t play. I am frustrated.”
Last year while Gor played Everton in Tanzania, they changed almost the entire team save for defender Joachim Oluoch and striker Jeconiah Uyoga while the Merseyside club fielded two different teams in either half.
On Sunday, the only subs he used were Cersidy Okeyo, Samuel Onyango, Kevin Omondi, Meddie Kagere, Wesley Onguso and Lawrence Juma.
Kerr was further agitated that he was blocked from rotating his squad while he tried to keep all his players fresh ahead of Wednesday’s CAF Confederation Cup game against Algeria’s USM Alger.
Nonetheless, the tactician was impressed with the performance of the team despite the loss on penalties, saying they showed they could match any opponent and hopes the show at Kasarani spurs them on against Alger.
“We were brilliant today. We created chances and dominated the game and the only shame is that we couldn’t get the chances converted. We should have won the game even on penalties but even despite that, I am proud of the players,” added the British tactician.
He has called on fans to turn out in large numbers on Wednesday and create a similar atmosphere against the Algerian side as they eye success in continental football.
“I know that possibly we can’t have 60,000 fans because it is a weekday and many fans who came on Sunday had travelled from far and wide, but we could at least make sure we have good numbers to create an atmosphere,” the coach added.
He hopes the show on Sunday can attract bigger football powerhouses from around the world to make a stop in Kenya, saying fans showed that there is massive passion for the game in the country.
