Manoah: Vihiga’s Austin Odongo is the next big thing for Harambee Stars

Vihiga County beat Nakuru 3-2 to claim the third spot after losing 4-2 on post-match penalties to Kisumu County in the semis.

Before the semi-finals, Vihiga had outlasted West Pokot in the quarterfinal with a 5-4 penalty shootout win after a thrilling 4-4 draw which saw Austin Odongo bag a haul.

"The players gave their best and had a wonderful tournament despite having a short time for preparations. Penalties don't have an expert, and they can go either way and unfortunately, we were unlucky in the semis. Finishing third is a job well done, and I couldn't execute it without the help of my technical bench," Manoah said.

The former Kakamega Homeboyz tactician also hailed lethal forward Austin Odongo, who emerged as the top scorer in the competition with 10 goals, for helping his team.

Odongo also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award despite missing two games after suffering a minor injury during the tournament.

"Odongo is a very talented footballer, he awed with his performances. I didn't believe the real talent I had at my disposal. If his talent is well nurtured, he will be the forward to lead Harambee Stars shortly," noted Manoah.

Manoah also lauded the government for coming up with the tournament reiterating it will help nurture football talent in the country.

This was the first edition of the Talanta Hela U-19 tournament that was conducted in the country to nurture talents at the grassroots level.

Homabay County was the inaugural winner of this tournament in the boys’ category after stunning Kisumu County 4-2m, while Busia bagged the ladies' category after thumping Kisumu 3-1.