Mbarara City's forward Brian Aheebwa has credited coach Brian Ssenyondo for what he called his best season.
When the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) moved to cancel the Ugandan Premier League (UPL), Mbarara City were seated seventh after 25 games. They registered 10 wins and six draws.
“Since we gained promotion in 2017, this has been my best season and credit goes to coach [Brian] Ssenyondo for trusting and turning me into a better player,” Aheebwa told Football256.
“He [Ssenyondo] gave me more playing time, simply because he had identified the potential in me and I tried to prove my worth, adding an impact to the team and to myself individually.”
He scored 14 goals with eight coming from the UPL matches and six other goals from Uganda Cup and Pilsner Super8 engagements.
Aheebwa had been summoned by Uganda head coach Johnathan McKinstry to the team that was preparing for the African Nations Championship (Chan) before the tournament was postponed.
He had been summoned by the previous coach Sebastien Desabre but he was dropped from the final squad and he has revealed how he reacted after missing out on a chance to represent the country on a bigger stage.
“Just like any other developing player, I was hurt when I was cut off in 2018 but always dreamt of returning to the national team and I continued to work towards that,” he explained.
“Still it goes back to coach Ssenyondo with whom I’ve always shared my ambitions, returning to the national team inclusive and he told me it’s possible just keep pushing hard.
“I must say that I was really disappointed when we were told to go back home because the tournament [Chan 2020], we were preparing for had been called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Who knows maybe I would have made the cut and finally represent my country at a major tournament.
Meanwhile, Maroons FC's midfielder Felix Okot's five-year contract is coming to an end and his personal manager, Adam Masembe, says they will entertain any offers put on their table.
“My client [Okot] has served for five years at Maroons Football Club. We are humbled for the special cooperation enjoyed with his bosses. Okot is ready to hear of offers from all parties and look forward to new challenges in life,” Masembe told Kawowo Sports.
Okot joined Maroons' senior team from Maroons Young Academy and played in the Fufa Big League and in the UPL before they were relegated in 2020.