How Gambia Coach is Using Nairobi Familiarity From His Gor Mahia Coaching Days to Shock Harambee Stars

Gambia coach Johnanthan McKinstry has explained how his familiarity of the Kenyan environment from his days as Gor Mahia coach could help him pull up an upset over Kenya’s Harambee Stars when both sides take each other on at Kasaranin Stadium on Friday evening.

Gambia sit fifth in group F on five points, one behind Kenya at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but their chances of qualification are a bit dim.

Regardless, that is not stopping Gambia from wanting to pick all three points tonight.

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Speaking to the media from the Kasarani Stadium on Thursday, McKinstry, who has been in Kenya for two weeks and called his players up to camp very early, is confident his charges have everything it takes to get a positive result.

“Obviously, it’s a city I know very well—an environment I’m very comfortable in. But this time, it’s a different context. Before, I was coming to Kasarani as the home team coach, with strong support behind me. Now, we come here as the away team.

“Playing away in Africa is always extremely difficult, and we’ve had to do that more than most teams in recent years because we haven’t had a home venue back in Banjul for a while. Kenya went through something similar for a couple of years.

“Still, we come here confident that we can put on a good performance—that’s the starting point. If we perform well, we give ourselves every chance of getting a good result. We also know the Harambee Stars will give everything. “

While many coaches rely on scouting reports, McKinstry’s understanding of Kenyan players runs deeper. He has worked with multiple Harambee Stars members—Rooney Onyango, Alpha Chris Onyango  and others—during his Gor Mahia tenure This familiarity gives him an inside edge:

“I know Kenyan football, their league—and I’m facing an opponent I know with some of their best players.”

Despite his warm memories, McKinstry is under no illusion about the challenges. He knows facing Kenya at home means contending with one of Africa’s most passionate crowds. But his team has prepared mentally:

“Kenya is strong and passionate, and their fans can be overwhelming. We have prepared well and we will fight to the last minute… Our players must stay focused and disciplined… the Stars will push hard, but we are ready to match them with organised defence and quick breaks”—as he told the press ahead of the match. 

Beyond familiarity, McKinstry is also wary of a revitalized Harambee Stars side under coach Benni McCarthy—a shift he sees as no longer the defensive team of old:

“If you had asked me six months ago… we were expecting a Kenyan team who will settle on a low block… But now, with McCarthy in charge, I do not think that will be the case.” 

He admires McCarthy’s attacking mindset—rooted in his experience as a strikers coach at Manchester United—and how it might energize Kenya’s approach.

Both countries find themselves in must-win territory. Kenya sits fourth in Group F with six points, while Gambia trails just behind. Victory would lift either side further into the race—Kenya towards nine points, Gambia to seven.

McKinstry has stressed that every player knows what's at stake and that the Scorpions will leave everything on the pitch until the final whistle 

“They’ve had a good run recently in CHAN, and it was a good game when we met back in March. We’re looking forward to this match, and we’ll be ready for it.”