Following a turbulent spell that saw Gor Mahia go winless in pre-season after losing the CECAFA Kagame Cup final, head coach Charles Akonnor has admitted he outsourced professional help to stabilise the deteriorating morale within his squad. Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsAfter a rather successful CECAFA Kagame Cup tourney where K'Ogalo lost to Rayon Sports in the final, Gor Mahia endured a rough patch before the new season, failing to win their subsequent seven games, including a 3-1 loss to Tusker in the FKF Super Cup match that caused fan trouble after full time.AFC Leopards captain keen to rectify mistake that cost Ingwe league titleCoupled with a lethargic performance against Egyptian moneybags Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League (CAFCL) qualifiers, K’Ogalo were under immense pressure from both fans and management, with tensions seeping into the dressing room and forcing Akonnor to seek help.“It was necessary that we brought in a sports psychologist to help the team and just psyche them up. They needed to hear a different voice. He helped the boys to understand certain things which brought calmness and is partly the reason why we won,” said Akonnor.##NAJAVA_MECA_10028711##The Ghanaian tactician was speaking in a presser following Gor Mahia’s 4-2 win over Murang’a Seal in their season opener played on Tuesday, 13 October, at Nyayo National Stadium.The win was a sigh of relief for Akonnor, despite Gor Mahia crumbling in the final 15 minutes to concede two goals from their former forward, Josephat Lopaga. Talanta Stadium confirmed for first major international sporting event“Gor is a big club, and the demand to win is always there, but sometimes you undergo some turbulence, which is what we went through after CECAFA, as things did not go well. For that reason, we are happy with the win despite conceding two goals.”Delving into the maiden match under the floodlights in over a decade, the reigning FKF Premier League Coach of the Season also took time to disclose how his team managed to overcome the Murang’a-based side.##NAJAVA_MECA_10028713##“MSeal is a good team that likes to keep the ball, and we knew that. They came with a back three, which we did not expect and struggled to cope with in the first half.A little bit of experience and awareness of knowing what to do, like in the second goal when our positioning was good and one pass beat a lot of lines, saw us through,” he stated.Ambani's plan to dethrone Gor Mahia as AFC Leopards commence new season
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