Pre-season build up:
- Wednesday, 22nd August 2018
- Kirinya-Jinja S.S Vs Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park
*Kyabazinga Stadium, Bugembe – Jinja (4 PM)
Jinja based Uganda Premier League outfit Kirinya-Jinja Secondary School Football club will test out fast rising Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park F.C in a pre-season warm up game in Jinja.
The game has been confirmed for Wednesday, 22nd August 2018 at the Kyabazinga Stadium, off the outskirts of Jinja town, Bugembe.
This build up duel will help the respective clubs in question prepare adequately for the up-coming season as Kirinya-Jinja S.S gets set for the 2018/19 Uganda Premier League season.
For the umpteenth time, Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park, a newly founded second division club after buying off Elgon group Big league club Kamuli Park F.C, will be engaged in a warm up game as a mechanism to prepare ahead of the future.
They have so far recorded contrasting results in the past six friendly matches played, winning against Sports Club Villa Jogoo (3-2), Entebbe Select 3-0, holding the reigning Uganda Cup champions KCCA to a one all draw before bowing out to Express (2-1) and 1-0 identical losses to Soana and lately Mbarara City FC away at the Kakyeeka Stadium.
Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park head coach Ibrahim Kirya is optimistic that these friendly matches are a perfect plat form to test out the new squad in his midst, playing combination and chemistry between the players.
In fact, Kirya, who has previously handled Lweza, URA, SC Villa and Mbarara City remains unfazed by the results from the build ups.
“Warm up games are building blocks meant to highlight the current situation of the team and what is to be done to improve the team. Results will matter less for now” Kirya admits.
His assistant coach Andy Lule, a former Uganda Kobs (national U-23) captain who skippered the team at the 1999 All Africa Games in South Africa believes they have learnt a lot from the friendlies played so far.
“These warm up games have been so crucial to us. By the way, we need many more similar games because we had heavy sessions on the beach and it is time for the players to have match situations” Lule adds.
Charles Ayiekoh Lukula, head coach at Kirinya-Jinja S.S shares his view about the significance of this build up.
In an interview with Kawowo Sports on Eid day, Ayiekoh disclosed;
This friendly match against Wakiso Giants will help us see our current situation concerning the departments on the field of play. They have experienced and good players and this will be a perfect test for us
Kirinya-Jinja S.S has also played seven build up matches against a series of Eastern regional clubs and lately lost 1-0 in the Pilsner super 8 duel.
For a reason or another, focus and attention will be inclined towards former Kirinya-Jinja S.S utility player Isaac Ntege who opted to play second division football than in the top flight.
Ntege is a former league winner at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), with the ability to play in more than five positions in the field of play – at left and right back, central midfield and on the flanks.
Wakiso Giants build up matches so far (*Venue):
- Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park 3-2 Sports Club Villa Jogoo (*IUIU Girls Campus – Kabojja)
- Entebbe Select 0-3 Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park (*Fisheries Training Institute, Bugonga)
- KCCA 1-1 Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park (*Star Times Stadium, Lugogo)
- Soana 1-0 Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park (*Kanyanya play ground)
- Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park 1-2 Express (*Wakiso Resource center stadium)
- Mbarara City 1-0 Wakiso Giants – Kamuli Park (*Kakyeeka Stadium, Mbarara)