“Firstly, I thank the coaches for the trust which enabled me to make my debut,” Kusiima told the club’s social media pages. “It was a dream debut to me because I kept a clean sheet and most importantly the team won.
“I am glad that I have contributed to more clean sheets [12 now across all competitions] and I look forward to doing better when given the opportunity again.”
The Red Eagles took the lead in the game courtesy of Kambale, who stepped up and controlled Martin Kizza’s pass before he calmly slotted home with a powerful left-footed strike.
Ssimbwa has now expressed his happiness at ending the poor run against the Ankole Lions and also his delight at bouncing back to winning ways after the two away draws against SC Villa and Bright Stars.
“We exhibited a very professional display against a team we normally struggle against,” Ssimbwa told the club’s official website. “Am happy with how my team played but most importantly, returning to winning ways.”
On his part, man of the match Joachim Ojera told the same portal: “We are happy with the results and returning to winning ways after our two games away from home. I am happy to be Man of the Match as well and I promise to improve my game further.”
“The attitude is good and morale is high,” Kajoba told the club’s official website. “We all know what is at stake here. Let’s not be fooled by their position on the table, this will not be a stroll in the park.
“They will definitely be out for revenge, but for us, our aim is to get a positive result.”
Prior to losing to Express, the Venoms were held to a frustrating draw by Wakiso Giants and have not scored any goal since beating Kitara FC 3-0 almost a fortnight ago.
The two sides come into this fixture with different targets. Vipers will be seeking to complete a double over MYDA and keep their title hopes alive while the hosts will be out to avenge their away humiliating 7-0 defeat and also fight for their first home win.
“Mbarara City has never been a team known for giving away points to opponents,” Ssimbwa told the club’s official website. “Their concentration levels are often high and the boys and the technical team know this, we know we have to give it our best to win.”
On the team’s run of two matches without a win, the veteran Ugandan tactician said: “Of course it’s never pleasant when results don’t come your way but as a manager, my work is to motivate my team and have them maintain the belief. I think the boys have good character.”
The coaches always want to put their best players on the pitch. Therefore you will find so many of them playing a lot continually which takes a huge toll on the body. They play a lot and do very intense training. This is because most of the players and their coaches are under pressure [to deliver]. The results are so many injuries.
Buteme also pointed out how poor training methods by some teams as well as poor diet and conditioning is further harming the players. The poor diet of most Ugandans, the poor conditioning where the body takes more load than it is supposed to, is another challenge, she continued.