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SAMSON KIRYA EXCLUSIVE : SC Villa’s safe pair of hands determined to lead the club to the long awaited league title number 17

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Samson Kirya has kept 13 clean sheets for SC Villa and he has conceded the least number of goals (7). [John Batanudde photo]
By: Danito Nsubuga

SC Villa has always been a safe haven for many players from the east including Hakim Magumba, Timothy Batabaire, Ibrahim Kirya, Denis Onyango, Andrew Mwesigwa, Steven Bogere, Alex Isabirye and Eh!! I should put a hold to the list before adding Yeseri Waibi who is most remembered for that net buster of a goal he scored in the Uganda cup finals of 2015, the last time SC Villa won a piece of silverware.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

He had his primary level education done at Iganga Boys school, O’level at Jinja college, A’level at M. M college Wairaka and later joined Makerere University for a Bachelor’s degree in Information technology.

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It’s from Makerere University that he picked a strong love for the game and he decided to take a go at it.

“While at Makerere, I captained the University football team and we managed to win the 1st edition of the University football league, it’s from where that Entebbe FC picked interest in me and I haven’t looked back since”.

Despite holding a 2nd class upper degree, Kirya says that football being a demanding game, he never got time to look for a job and it has consequently become his full time job.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Kirya was slapped with a 2 match ban after trying to attack the referee at St. Mary’s Kitende

As it is a big virtue of any aspect of life, Kirya’s Villa career has been built on patience and endurance which has eluded many Ugandan footballers.

” Before Burundian international Mac Arthur Arakaza was signed, I had faced stiff competition from well established goal keepers like Nicholas Ssebwato and Yasin Mugabi but I tried to learn a lot from them, they taught me how to handle pressure between the sticks and when they left, I felt it was my turn to play after patiently waiting for 2 years on the bench”.

THE EXPERIENCE

Last season, Kirya was accused of conceding silly goals that many think cost SC Villa the title but keeper insists it was just immaturity and he has now learned from the past mistakes.

“It was my first full season, today I have a coach who has utmost faith in me, he believes in me and he has shown complete trust in me. I attribute my improvement to coach Bbosa”.

SPECIAL GRATITUDE

Kirya commends Mubarak Kiberu for improving his game.

Although more attribute is accorded to Bbosa, Kirya makes no mistake of forgetting the man with whom he spends most of the time at the training ground and that man is Mubarak Kiberu, SC Villa’s goalkeeping coach who also doubles as the national men’s U17 team goalkeeping coach. He says,

“He has had a great impact on me, he identified my weaknesses and tried so hard to see me rectify them, we have a strong bond”.

NOW IS THE TIME

The olden adage goes that, “good strikers win matches but great goal keepers win championships”, a clear belief, hope and optimism has gotten over the heads of many Villa faithfuls, with Samson Kirya in goal, they have confidence that with him between the sticks, anything is achievable. He too affirms their hope, he asserts,

“I don’t believe that this is our chance, I believe it’s our time to win the 17th league title for Sports club Villa, we have the best players and i mean it because we feel sorry for the coach and the selection headache he has. We lost 2 points but it’s as if it were added onto us when you take a glimpse at the table. We won the historical game in Arua with our captain suspended and that was a huge statement of intent” .

STRONG BOND

There is a big band of brotherhood in the Villa camp

SC Villa players play with their hearts held on their sleeves and the young goal keeper insists that, it’s only a team built on the pillars of love that can thrive through thick and cold.

” There is a strong bond of love amongst all the players, the seniors and the young ones. Most of us have been together for over 2 seasons , the coach understands everyone of us, his weaknesses and capabilities. Most of the players on the team are born fans of SC Villa and they love it”.

THE STAND OUT PERFORMER

Martin Kizza has scored 8 goals so far and he stands out as SC Villa’s lead marksman

It’s common belief that team work beats individual ability but regardless of all the collective efforts and performances, there is always a stand out actor who lights the tourch for everyone to follow, Kirya points out Martin Kizza as the man who is lifting the club’s banner.

“It’s definitely not an easy task to pick out any player for special praise because everyone is performing their own tasks absolutely well but of recent, Martin Kizza has lifted us. He has outperformed the attackers but as I can’t take all the credit for the clean sheets, so should Martin because his fellow forwards do create the opportunities for him. We are a team in simpler terms”.

NO REGRETS

SC Villa currently lead the Uganda premier league table on 46 points,
4 above Vipers SC and 6 above KCCA FC but they should have been at least 2 points further had it not been for the docked points and Kirya was among the culprits of the misdemeanors committed at Kitende as he was also slapped with a 2 match ban hence missing the game between UPDF and Maroons.

” Every thing I did was in the spirit of defending my team, I felt the pain of being robbed in broad daylight light but the only person to be haunted if at all we fail to win the league because of those two points is the referee (Alex Muhabi). But as I said in the beginning, I am very positive that nothing is going to stop us, THIS IS OUR TIME”.

THE MOST DIFFICULT GAME

Kirya saved Allan Kayiwa’s penalty to preserve SC Villa’s lead at Kavumba

SC Villa has lost only 2 games this season out of the 22 and it’s not been all rosy, Kirya picks out the game against Onduparaka as the hardest so far.

“I think the game against Onduparaka in Arua has been our hardest game so far, it’s from this game that I came to realize that a minute has 60 full seconds, that’s how hard it was to clinch that victory.

He however adds that, there has not been any easy games in the league. Even during their biggest win so far against Masavu, Dumba Sadala and Abraham Ndugwa gave him a torrid time.

“I think the only game I came out plain clean was in the Uganda cup versus Ndejje University, that’s how easy it was but in the league, every game is equivalent to a battle front”.

THE OKELLO MAGIC

Speaking of battle fronts, there is one that Kirya failed to command his troops and he paid for it painfully, it’s the 1-0 defeat to KCCA at the Philip Omondi stadium when he was beaten by Allan Okello deep in the dying stages of the game, another game that may prove decisive in the tide of the title challenge. He refuses to take the blame though,

“I set up a wall of 4 people and I covered my side but 1 or 2 lads in the wall moved away and it’s where Allan Okello utilised to beat us, there was no way I could run from the 3rd quarter of the goal to the 1st in split second, i had my concentration but credit to him for his brilliance and game reading. He beat me by micro seconds “.

Despite the praise showered on the young Okello, Kirya thinks teammate Martin Kizza is by far the most outstanding player so far in the league.

“Martin is by far the best player based on current form and consistency.

… About the toughest opponent I have faced, i think Hood Kawesa (formerly of Police FC) gave me a hard time at Namboole. I still find no way I could have stopped him from scoring even if i was given a second chance in the same situation”.

PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THAT CRANES CALL

Every footballer’s dream would be to at least one time be summoned for national duty, but this honour has so far eluded Kirya, he is however adamant that perhaps his chance has just not come yet but optimistic it will any time.

“I respect the opinions of those who summon players for national duty, many people have told me that I deserve to be there but all I believe is, all those called up are Ugandans and we cannot all be there, i believe my chance will come and i will gladly take it up with both hands. It will be a very proud moment for me to wear the national colours. ”

THE CLIMAX

Villa are topping the table on 46 points with 8 games to go

With only 8 games to go, every match is considered as a cup final, this comes with a lot pressure and panic but the Villa custodian refuses to admit that he and teammates will handle any game under pressure.

” It’s a simple task, i put myself under the shoes of the team we are going to face, i understand it and know how they feel, being below us, the pressure turns on them. We and our fans expect only one result and that is is victory in every game.”.

POLICE FC THREAT

It’s Police FC next in line for Villa, a team that has proved stubborn to Villa over the years, they drew 1-1 in the first round.

Kirya is however confident this is another game with another script book that will be approached in its own way.

” Police is a boggy side for Villa and we all know it. The fans should expect to see the difference between a team aiming to win their 1st tittle in 14 years and a team that has not any worries and comfortable of their current position”.

THE UNQUENCHABLE DESIRE TO IMPROVE

This interview was carried out at the time when Kirya was preparing to go for training as the team is preparing for Police FC but under any normal circumstances, it would have been a rest day for him after the hard earned victory over Soana not less than 12 ago but he says, a lot needs to be worked upon if the desired goals are to be achieved and among those is,

” On a personal note, I need to work hard and improve on my game reading especially in situations of counter attacks and tick tack style of football.

He admits that SC Villa as a whole need to work on their goal conversion rates to enable them kill off games with time to spare.

Special gratitude and thanks he sent to his fans as they are his biggest inspiration to keep going in the game.

MESSAGE TO THE VILLA FAITHFUL

“To the Villa fans, keep praying because prayer move mountains, 14 years is a long period of time. Just fitness and talent aren’t enough , We and God are a winning team. Come in numbers and support the team, Let’s go Jogoooo.”

Samson Kirya has started and completed 20 of SC Villa’s 22 games this season, kept 13 clean sheets and conceding only 7 goals in the process. He saved Allan Kayiwa’s penalty with the game still tight at 1-0 against Soana FC at Kavumba.

SC Villa will host Police FC on the 11th of April 2018.

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