Ugandan striker Dan Sserunkuma plays for Kenyan side Gor Mahia.
Ugandan striker Dan Sserunkuma is confident Cranes will prevail past Togo when the two sides clash in an African Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday.
The pint-sized striker, who grabbed a hat-trick for his Kenyan club Gor Mahia on Saturday in a 4-1 demolition of relegation bound Nakuru Top Fry, insists Cranes have enough quality to match the West African nation.
“We have required quality to handle Togo and I am very confident that we will win on Saturday,” Sserunkuma told New Vision. “We are in a position where we cannot afford to lose because we started the qualifiers on a positive note. If we lose, we will derail our efforts of doing well in the qualifiers and no one will take that. We want to make Ugandans happy and they should come in large numbers to cheer us on.”
Sserunkuma, who tops Kenya Premier League goals chart with 14, added, “I have enjoyed a very good season in Kenyan league and I must now transform the same to help my country do well in Afcon qualifiers. I must scores goals for my country and will try to do the same if given an opportunity to play against Togo.”
Sserunkuma is jostling for a place on national team with strikers - Geofrey Massa (University of Pretoria), Brian Umony (KCC), Yunus Sentamu (AS Vita), Emmanuel Okwi (Simba) and Karim Ndugwa (SC Villa).
Despite limited playing time for Cranes, the striker has continued to score goals for Gor Mahia. Sserukuma came off the bench in the 2-1 defeat against Madagascar and was an unused substitute against Mauritania in the return leg the Cranes won 1-0.
Sserunkuma maintained that winning the league with Gor Mahia is more important for him than the golden boot or player of the year award this season. “I will be happier to lift the league title. That is my ultimate dream. Winning golden boot and MVP are secondary to my dreams.
"In 2012 I won the MVP and golden boot award; we didn’t win the league title. Last year we won the league, I did not win an individual award, but I had a league trophy. An individual award will be a bonus. We badly need to win the league. Nobody will remember you for winning the MVP orthe golden boot, but everybody will be celebrating a league win.”
Uganda, who tops Group ‘E' on goal aggregate, plays Togo on October 11 at Namboole before return leg on October 15 in Lome. Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia are only nations in Council for East and central African Football Associations (Cecafa) region that are in Group stages of 2015 Afcon qualifiers.
However, both Sudan and Ethiopia have lost their two respective matches.
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