Former Uganda Cranes captain and goalkeeper Denis Onyango has opened up on winning a 10th PSL titles.
Onyango was in goal on Tuesday as Mamelodi Sundowns were crowned the 2022/23 PSL champions.
The game ended 1-1, for Sundowns to finish off the season with 70 points after 30 games for their sixth straight league crown.
This was league title number seven for Onyango at Sundowns, having won three with SuperSport United earlier.
“It has not been an easy journey,” Onyango told NBSport This morning show on Wednesday.
“We won at Superport because of the good organisation at the club. Many will see that we have dominated PSL at Sundowns because of money but that hasn’t been the only factor.
“It’s also organisation and club commitment. The players have put in hard work as well.”
Sundowns finished Just a point short of their 71-point record tally they achieved in 2015/16.
They lost two games against Supersport and TS Galaxy this season.
“It has been a good campaign for the team but there were some challenges, we started the season with co-coaches, we eventually switched to head coach (Rulani Mokwena),” Onyango reflected.
“We were focused on getting results which was very key and we wanted to get more points but we couldn’t break our own record unfortunately.”
“We have won six in a row because of our good preparations. We have our targets set on winning the CAF Champions League and we use the league as preparations for that.”
Onyango in unfamiliar role…
Onyango has found himself playing as a second choice goalkeeper at the club since the arrival of the preferred South African Ronwen Williams.
In fact, this season, Onyango has started in three league games in comparison to Ronwen’s 26.
Onyango said that the club is focusing on future as they seek to exert their dominance for more years to come.
“It was not easy to be relegated to number two but also the club wants to look at the future,” Onyango said.
“And that future has to be a young goalkeeper as they look to maintain this winning streak. And as time moves by, some players have to move on and others have to retire.
“My role was to help Williams to settle in properly l, and it was not only me, it was Kennedy Mwene and Reyaad Pieterse because Ronwen is a quality GK and captain of South Africa.
“It’s about team and not who plays number one. At the end of the day its club that comes first. I had to play a role of a senior player and help young ones come in an blend in well.”
Onyango and Sundowns will return to action this weekend in the CAF Champions League semifinals second leg when they welcome Wydad Casablanca.
First leg ended 0-0 in Morocco.
