Kenya men’s hockey team step up African Games preps

With less than two weeks remaining to the delayed Games, the squad which has been in the cold for more than a decade has stepped up preparations at City Park in Nairobi.

Utility player Festus Onyango is hoping they will get a residential camp to fine tune their claws before departing for the west African country.

“So far we are at 50% and we are seeking to upgrade our training when we get to residential camp which will get us to 80%  in about a week or two then in the final week we should be ready and raring to go 100% prepared,” said Onyango.

With a blend of young and experienced players, the team is out for a memorable return to the Games after missing out this year’s Paris Olympic Games slot after finishing sixth in the qualifiers.

“We are working on our set pieces and the lapses that we witnessed during the Olympic qualifiers in South Africa. We have also been joined by the team that represented the country in the Hockey 5’s World Cup in Oman.”

His sentiments were echoed by coach Willis Otieno, who has concentrated on sharpening his striking force ahead of the championship.

“The boys are ready and the numbers are great and everyone that is supposed to be here is in the camp right now. From the previous tournament we created many chances that we did not convert and that’s why I am concentrating on sharpening our finishing so that we can convert the chances that we create.

“If we can get a chance to get into a residential camp we can prepare the team fully the way it's supposed to be done. Because for now we are doing a non-residential camp which is not effective when preparing for major competitions,” Otieno told Citizen Digital.

The squad is expected to be trimmed down to 18 players before departing to Ghana.