Sserunkuma’s brace not enough but Okello makes it for Cranes

Kampala. If this was the match to pick local based players to travel to Egypt for a week-long residential camp before the final Afcon showdown in Tanzania on Sunday, you would never have missed these two players.
Apart from scoring in the 4-0 second half dismissal of Kampala Region at Lugogo on Saturday, these two put up some spirited performances that seemed to ask coach Sebastien Desabre; “what next?”
Good enough, one of them, Allan Okello - who has knocked on that door consistently for the last one year - got the nod and is currently in Egypt among 23 others. So familiar with his home Lugogo turf, the nimble left-footed creative player run rings around Kampala Regional and capped it with a goal before being taken off a satisfied young man late on.
But it was never going to be the same satisfaction for Daniel Sserunkuma, last season’s topflight highest scorer with 17 and Vipers go-to-man, 11 league goals to his name so far.
The dreadlocked striker, one of the most calm and disciplined Ugandan players, came on for Villa’s Bashir Mutanda towards the end of first half and soon had Kampala Region players in disarray.
They held on until after the break, where Sserunkuma’s continued cunning runs behind enemy lines and positioning was too much for them to handle. Sserunkuma’s attitude on the pitch - a spirited fighter in the middle of a war - was a clear communication to Desabre that “you will not say I didn’t give it my all.”
One of his movements, after good interplay between Brian Majwega - who also missed the Egypt flight yesterday - and Godfrey Walusimbi - got Sserunkuma at the end of the latter’s cross to emphatically head home the opener past Hamza Lutaaya.
Sserunkuma got his second by simply controlling from six yards and directing it home.
Proline’s Bright Anukani got Cranes fourth, a ferocious fine drive into the top corner.
It was not just Sserunkuma’s goals, it was his sharpness, assuredness and general team play that - you would think - would have had him at least make the travelling squad.
Desabre explained the striker’s impending omission. “Sserunkuma,” said Desabre, “At the moment, he is good for the future.”
“For Tanzania we have two target (men, Emmanuel Okwi and Patrick Kaddu) but I’m looking at all these players for Chan and Afcon.”
Of the 10 so-called home based players, Hassan Wasswa, who is suspended for the Tanzania game, and Walusimbi are not attached to any club after leaving their Egyptian and South African sides.
And of the eight remaining that made it, only Okello, Tadeo Lwanga and Sadam Juma played Saturday’s warm-up match with Kaddu, Timothy Awany, Halid Lwaliwa, Allan Kyambadde and Moses Waiswa sitting out. “Picking the team,” further explained Desabre, “I have looked at this game, during the week’s training and before that.”
The 10 players selected on Saturday join 14 foreign based stars in Egypt before connecting to Dar es Salaam on Saturday for the final 2019 Nations Cup qualifier against the hosts the following day.