Local goalkeepers stake their claim to relevance in modern football

It’s early days yet but the temptation to draw parallels with KCCA FC’s fairytale run in last season’s Caf Champions League and that of Vipers SC this side of the year is overwhelming.
For one, both played with an air of competence and solidarity en route to overturning 2-1 first leg deficits to win their first round ties on the away goals rule.
Less known, but no less remarkable, was the pure relentlessness of perfectionism by each goalkeeper particularly in the return leg.
Charles Lukwago was a colossus between the sticks as CNaPS Sport unsuccessfully tried to extricate itself from elimination’s embrace.
Similarly, Bashir Ssekagya went to extraordinary lengths to shut out Al-Merriekh this past week.

Good goalkeeping
If anything the show-stopping performances came not as a vulgar surprise, but rather a timely reminder of what has come to be emblematic of Ugandan football -- good goalkeeping.
Just a fortnight ago, Cranes goalkeeper Denis Onyango was announced as one of the candidates for the Caf male player of the year award.
The 32-year-old is yet to have his onion bag breached in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.
After guiding Uganda to the 2019 Afcon finals with one match to spare, Onyango announced that he is contemplating retiring from international football once African football’s showpiece tournament grinds to a halt.
Many observers strongly believe that Onyango will be talked out of retirement anyway.

If he isn’t, there won’t be any residual guilt as, make no mistake, decent goalkeepers abound.
The upsurge in fortunes of local goalkeepers is not accidental. Fufa has over the years taken deliberate steps to grow the art of goalkeeping.
Most clubs plying their trade in the topflight as such no longer use a scattergun approach as far as goalkeeping is concerned.
Goalkeeping coaches exceptional in their intelligence like Daniel Kiwanuka (KCCA) and Moses Oloya (Vipers) have consequently put up their hands.