The Nzoia Bogey - Gor vs Nzoia since 1979

It has always been said that Nzoia, in its various forms of existence, was Gor Mahia's bogey team. The notion is that matches between the two would always be 50-50 affairs over a season, with Nzoia winning in the West and Gor Mahia exacting revenge in Nairobi. Since their last appearance in the league in the 2005 season, it was generally expected that normal service would resume but Gor Mahia has already bucked that trend by winning the away fixture 1-0, thanks to Meddie Kagere. One would however argue that it was at Mumias and not the (in)famous Kanduyi. This weekend Gor Mahia will be seeking to do the double, again not in Nairobi but rather Kisumu. But is it true that Nzoia always posed a problem to Gor Mahia over the years? I decided to confirm this by going over results of all the meetings the two have had in the league.

Gor Mahia actually first played a league game against Nzoia in Kanduyi on 23 June 1979, and not surprisingly, lost 2-1. Nzoia got their goals through a Jimmy Onyango double while Gor Mahia's consolation goal came through George Yoga. However in the return leg at Nairobi's City Stadium on 6 October, George Yoga and Tim Ayieko each scored a double as they beat Nzoia 4-1 on their way to a fourth league title. Since then, the teams have played each other 37 times in the league, with Gor Mahia winning 17 of those matches while Nzoia has won 10 with matched ending in a draw. Gor Mahia has in the process scored 56 goals while conceding 32 goals. The boys from the sugar belt indeed proved a hard nut to crack at home and it was not until 11 June 1988 that a Peter Dawo inspired Gor Mahia got their first away win in Nzoia, courtesy of goals from Peter Dawo and captain Austin Oduor.

While Gor Mahia has a superior record, it has not always been an easy opponent for its strikers. Hesbon Omollo is the leading goal-scorer for Gor Mahia in this fixture with 4 goals with five other players on 3 goals.

Hesbon Omollo (RIP) has scored more goals in this fixture than any other Gor Mahia player

4 Goals  - Hesbon Omollo
3 Goals  - George Yoga
              - John "Zangi" Okello
              - Abass Khamis Magongo
              - Joseph Owino
              - Bramwell Mwololo

No Gor Mahia player has managed a hat-trick against Nzoia while 7 players have managed to score a double against them:

1. George Yoga [22/06/1979 in 4-1 win]
2. Tim Ayieko  [22/06/1979 in 4-1 win]
3. Abbey Nassur [23/05/1981 in 4-1 win]
4. John Okello "Zangi" [06/08/1983 in a 3-0 win]
5. Hesbon Omollo [14/04/1984 in a 4-0 win]
6. Abass Magongo [29/10/1994 in a 2-1 win]
7. Bramwell Mwololo [18/10/1997 in a 2-0 win]

Finally K'Ogalo's biggest score in this fixture is 4-0  in 1984 while their biggest loss margin is 0-2 in 1996 and 2001.

Olunga - Kagere Partnership - The Best Ever for Gor Mahia?

Well, it is now probably official that Gor Mahia will be without Michael Olunga and Meddie Kagere for the 2016 season and have quickly moved to replace them with Jacob Keli and Rwandese Jacques Tusiyenge. But will the two be missed by the club? Gor Mahia fans tend to live by the slogan “no one is bigger than the club” and always believe replacements are readily available. Sometimes rightly so, like when Olunga replaced Danny, but at times it could be a miss…like the years it took to replace Peter Dawo. Olunga and Kagere scored a whooping 57 goals between in 2015 and I have been wondering how easy it is to replicate that, so I took a step down memory lane to see how lethal other strike partnerships were. Were they for example more prolific than Peter Dawo and Sammy Onyango “Jogoo” in 1987, Gor most successful year to date? Or the partnerships between the legendary goal getter of the 80s Hesbone Omollo and whoever he partnered with during those glory days of the 80s?

In fact they were. Dawo and Jogoo scored 47 goals in all competitions between them (31 goals in the league) in 1987 while Omollo and Hamisi managed 33 in 1983. It is only in the league where Hesbone Omollo / Gedion Hamisi and George Yoga / Nahashon Oluoch partnerships outscored the Olunga and Kagere partnership. The tables below shows just how prolific this combination was.

Year	Partnership	All Competitions
2015	Michael Olunga / Meddie Kagere	57 (29/23)
1987	Peter Dawo / Sammy Onyango	47 (32/15)
1981	Abbey Nassur / Gedion Hamisi	37 (25/12)
1983	Hesbone Omollo / Gedion Hamisi	33 (18/15)

Year	Partnership	League
1979	George Yoga / Nahashon Oluoch	36 (21/15)
1983	Hesbone Omollo / Gedion Hamisi	33 (18/15)
2015	Michael Olunga / Meddie Kagere	32 (19/13)
1987	Peter Dawo / Sammy Onyango	31 (19/12)
1981	Abbey Nassur / Gedion Hamisi	30 (21/9)

*It is worth noting that in 1979 George Yoga “Best” and Nahashon Oluoch Lule scored 38 goals between them but I do not have the full stats of that season and the rest of the 70s yet.

                              

Kagere and Olunga

                                                 

Gedion Hamisi: Formidable partnership with Hesbone Omollo and Abbey Nassur in the early 80s

Olunga in the League

While I still don’t have the complete records from the 70s, it is well understood that Maurice Ouma “Sonyi” is the club’s leading scorer in a league season with 26 goals in 1976. I have therefore attempted to see where Olunga’s 19 league goals would place him with the other illustrious scorers of the 80s and 90s. He ties Peter Dawo’s 19 league goals in 1987 but apart from Sonyi, who else is up there with him? The following table illustrates.

No of Goals	Player	Year
21	Abbey Nassur	1981
21	George Yoga	1979
19	Michael Olunga	2015
19	Peter Dawo	1987
18	Hesbone Omollo	1983

It is thus safe to say that the club will surely miss the Olunga - Kagere partnership. Hopefully a successful season from Keli, Tuyisenge, Agwanda, George Odhiambo or whoever else will lead the hunt for goals will make the K'Ogalo faithful forget the two.  

Pictures: Olunga and Kagere - Official Gor Mahia Website

Gedion Hamisi - Daily Nation