Versatile Gor Mahia defender Geoffrey Ochieng is a happy man after shaking off a career-threatening injury that had locked him out of action since September last year.
Ochieng went under the knife last year after rupturing his right knee’s Anterior Cruciate Ligament in July while in action against Kariobangi Sharks at Thika Stadium.
The defender who can comfortably slot either at left or right-back recovered within the stipulated time and consequently was named in the team that lost 2-0 to debutants Kenya Police almost two weeks ago at the Moi Stadium, Kisumu.
Ochieng marked his return to the first team when the record champions narrowly edged Wazito 1-0 last weekend at Narok Stadium, in a match which he clocked full time.
“It was a nice feeling to be back on the pitch after eight months out. Honestly I wasn’t expecting to play a full game considering that I had not trained under coach Spier for a long time. But when he told me I would start, I took up the challenge and had a good game, ” he said.
While reflecting on the eight months he had been out and the processes involved before having a date with the surgeon, Ochieng termed it as tough journey but picked his family and teammates to thank for offering him a shoulder to lean on.
“ It was a tough one but thankfully, I pulled through. I sincerely thank those who were there for me,” he expressed his gratitude.
Having found his way back to competitive football, the former Western Stima man who admitted to have played as a centre back in his formative years said he was ready to inspire Gor to a top two finish.
With slightly over ten rounds remaining in the season , Ochieng is confident that K’Ogalo have a realistic chance of either beating the rest of the contenders to the title and in the worst case scenario, finish as runner up.
“No one should rule out the possibility of Gor winning the league. The gap between us and the top team is not that huge. We only need to take the remaining matches as finals,” he added.