Johnathan McKinstry proud of Gor Mahia's efforts after being named Coach of the Year

Johnathan McKinstry proud of Gor Mahia's efforts after being named Coach of the Year

Festus Chuma 22:09 - 27.07.2024

The Irishman earned the FKF Coach of the Year after leading Gor Mahia to a record-breaking 21st league title triumph.

Former Gor Mahia head coach Johnathan McKinstry was in his element after claiming the FKF Premier League Coach of the Year award congratulating everyone who made the recognition a success – especially his players.

 Gor Mahia were at it again last season, winning the Premier League title for a record 21st title – a feat they achieved with three games to spare.

It was a milestone that exposed how much of a well-oiled machine they are compared to their rivals, who still have a long way to go if they are to knock them off their perch.

And while it was a collective effort to achieve that feat, kudos should go to individuals such as coach McKinstry, who grabbed the bull by the horns having retained the title.

"Huge thank you to FKF for the honour of being named Coach of the Year & to my friend Jolawi Obondo for collecting the award on my behalf," he wrote.

The 38-year-old won 21 games and drew 10 en route to their 73-point championship-winning tally.

But like he has been doing all season long, MckInstry didn’t take individual praise for being the Coach of the Year recipient, lauding his players’ hard work instead.

"Also a massive congrats to Kevin Omondi, Benson Omalla & Austine Odhiambo for making it a clean sweep of awards for Gor Mahia," he added.

Benson Omalla earned the FKF Premier League Golden Boot with an impressive tally of 19 goals for the 2023/24 season. 

 Austin Odhiambo was honored as the Most Valuable Player of the 2023/24 FKF Premier League. 

The Northern Irishman has since been named Gambia national team coach on handed a two-year contract and began the role on 1 June.

McKinstry has previous experience at international level following spells in charge of Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Uganda.

His predecessor with The Gambia, Tom Saintfiet, led the West Africans to the Nations Cup for the first time and then secured back-to-back qualifications for the finals.

The Scorpions reached the quarter-finals on their tournament debut at the delayed 2021 edition, where they were beaten by hosts Cameroon, and suffered a group-stage exit at the 2023 Nations Cup earlier this year.

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