Tusker FC chairman Charles Gacheru has made a passionate appeal to Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and Shabana fans to rally behind the Brewers when they face Tanzanian side Singida Black Stars in the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Gacheru appealed after Tusker secured their place in the next round following a 1-0 victory over Sudanese outfit Al Ahli Wad Madani at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday, advancing 3-2 on aggregate.
The chairman was encouraged by the turnout at Nyayo, revealing that close to 2,000 fans attended the decisive encounter. He now hopes for an even bigger crowd when Tusker begin their battle against Singida, urging supporters of the country’s most supported clubs to put club rivalries aside and rally behind Kenya’s remaining representative in continental competition.
Singida, who produced the biggest result of the opening preliminary round, advanced after crushing South Sudan’s Al-Ghazala SC 10-1 on aggregate, winning the first leg 7-1 away before completing the job with a 3-0 victory at home.Gacheru acknowledged the quality of the Tanzanian outfit but remained confident Tusker can rise to the occasion.“The Singida team is very good. We looked at them during the CECAFA matches and we know it will be a good test, but we are a good team and we will give our best.
Today we had a good turnout of fans, almost 2,000 in the stands, which was impressive, as it was the first time we managed to pull such numbers. When we are going to play Singida, I am really urging fans across the board from Gor, AFC Leopards and Shabana to come in their numbers as we take on our neighbours because we will be representing the nation and their support will be immense.”
Tusker to face Tanzanian outfit in final round of CAF Confederation Cup qualifiersTusker’s progression was sealed by Crispine Erambo’s second-half strike, with Collins Ochieng’ providing the delivery.Gacheru reserved special praise for the former Kenya U-20 left-back, who he named as his man of the match after an impressive display.
Read Also: Gor Mahia swallow five goals in Egypt to crash out of CAF Champions League
Ochieng’, who joined Tusker from Danish side AC Horsens, was influential throughout the game.“It has been a good game, and the boys got the job done. They were confident from the onset, and we are really proud of their performance.Collins, for me, was the man of the match. He played a really good game and stood out entirely for me. Not forgetting the likes of Aboud Omar, John Otieno, Chris Erambo, Tom Teka and Ian Simiyu, who also had a good game.
Generally, we should have scored more, but the overall team performance was excellent.”Tusker will now shift their focus to Singida, with a place in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage pathway at stake. The first leg of the second preliminary-round tie will be played between 16-18 October, with the 1994 African Cup Winners ‘ Cup finalists hosting the Tanzanian side before the return leg scheduled for October 23-25 in Tanzania.