Logarusic, Bobby Williamson, Frank Nuttal and Dylan Kerr all have one thing in common. They were at Gor Mahia. They served their time. They left but Gor Mahia stood tall. Like a desert cactus, the club has seen dark clouds and storms but it has emerged intact at the end of the tunnel.
There was an uproar when Dylan Kerr, who had a club tattoo on his leg left Gor Mahia unceremoniously ahead of the new season. Nobody expected Kerr to leave, since he had just guided the team to a historic match against Everton a few weeks earlier.
Poor performances on the pitch which saw the club loss three of its first four matches did not help the situation. Everyone thought the club was done and there was no coming back.
Gor hired Hassan Oktay, a man who had no previous history in African football. Some media personalities joked that the coach had been hired on a three month internship contract.
But it now seems Oktay was a good business as he is on the verge of becoming the the first coach to guide the club to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League group stage if he avoids defeat in Nigeria on Friday.
This year Gor broke another record by gracing the modern Caf Confederation Cup group stage after about 33 years. They narrowly missed out on the coveted Champions League group stage after losing 1-0 in the first round to eventual winners Esperance of Tunisia.
Again, under the tutelage of Briton Dylan Kerr, K’Ogalo failed to proceed to the quarter-finals of the second tier Africa inter-club competition after finishing third in Group “D” behind Algerian side USM Alger and Rwandese giants Rayon Sports.
Out went Kerr last month and he was replaced by Oktay who has led the 17-time Kenyan champions in four matches losing two and winning as many.
Oktay made his touchline debut on December 5 in the return leg of the preliminary round against Nyasa Bullets.
He guided Gor to the first round by edging out Malawian side Nyasa Bullets 4-3 on post-match penalties after a 1-1 aggregate score in both legs. Gor lost 1-0 in Malawi after winning the first leg with a similar scoreline in Nairobi.
The 42-year-old also tasted defeat in his first SportPesa Premier League (SPL) match in charge losing 2-1 to Bandari in Mombasa. However he has masterminded two convincing wins in quick succession; 4-0 against Zoo in the SPL and 3-1 over Lobi Stars in the Champions League.
“When I first came, I found their tempo was different from my philosophy but I can see they are getting better everyday,” said Oktay.
Friday’s return leg in Enugu state stands between Oktay and history. A win or draw of any kind will see Gor pocket a cool Sh56 million by qualifying for the money-spinning group stage.
“I am here first to reach the group stage and two, go all the way to the final,” reiterated Oktay who penned a two-year deal on December 10.