Migori Youth players celebrate their goal in a past match/HANDOUT Migori Youth have been challenged to tighten their defence and learn how to protect leads after their two-match pre-season tour of Tanzania exposed weaknesses at the back ahead of their maiden SportPesa League campaign.
The newly promoted side returned from Mwanza with two draws following a 1-1 stalemate against Alliance FC and a 2-2 draw with Premier League outfit Pamba Jiji FC.
Assistant coach Sammy Otulo, who took charge in the absence of head coach Salim Babu, said the inability to close out matches remains a major concern despite the encouraging attacking displays.
“We showed that we have the quality to get on the scoresheet, but the biggest lesson for us is that taking the lead is not enough. We must become more disciplined defensively and learn to manage matches better so that we do not throw away points from winning positions,” Otulo said.
Migori displayed their attacking intent in both matches but failed to turn promising starts into wins, with defensive lapses allowing opponents to fight back.
Against Pamba Jiji, Mike Isabwa put Migori ahead early before completing his brace shortly before half-time. On both occasions, however, the Tanzanian hosts responded to deny the visitors victory.
Christopher Koloti had earlier given Migori the lead against Alliance before the hosts fought back to secure a share of the spoils. Otulo said the tour nevertheless provided valuable preparation against competitive opposition as Migori fine-tune their squad for the demands of top-flight football.
“Tanzania gave us the kind of competition we needed at this stage of our preparations. Although we did not manage to win either game, getting two draws was still useful because the matches exposed both our strengths and the areas that require more work,” he said.
The coach believes the team has made sufficient progress and is confident Migori will be ready when the new season gets underway. “From where we are now, I am satisfied with our level of preparedness. If the league were to start in the next two weeks, I believe we would be in a position to compete, and the matches in Tanzania have played an important part in getting us there,” Otulo said.
Migori earned promotion to the SportPesa League last season and are now using the remaining period of their preparations to sharpen their defensive organisation while retaining the attacking threat that impressed during the Tanzania trip.
