Johnathan McKinstry Breaks Down How Benni McCarthy Has Lifted Harambee Stars in 2 Key Areas

The Gambia National Football team coach, Johnathan McKinstry, has opened up about what has changed in Harambee Stars since Benni McCarthy took over.

Johnathan McKinstry, a former Gor Mahia coach, revealed that Benni McCarthy is healthily transforming Kenyan football, unlike the previous coaches who never invested in local talent.

Harambee Stars faced off against The Gambia for the first time under Benni McCarthy on March 20, and Johnathan McKinstry still remembers how the Kenyan players showed up.

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The match ended in a 3-3 draw, with Harambee Stars coming from behind, something that left Johnathan McKinstry surprised.

As he coached Gor Mahia between 2022 and 2024, Johnathan McKinstry revealed that there was a lot of talent, but the coaches never gave chances to the players to be in the national team.

He noted that Benni McCarthy is changing that, and it can all be seen through their performances. McKinstry added that Kenya does not have many players abroad, and relying on the few heavily is not a healthy practice.

The Northern Irishman pointed out that instead, those opportunities should be given to the local players, something that Benni McCarthy is doing.

“Fighting spirit…look, there are a lot of things the new coach has changed. I very much like that he is giving chances to domestic players, because you remember from my comments when I worked here, I felt like there was a lot of talent in the domestic league,” Johnathan McKinstry told the media.

“They deserve that opportunity because there are not as many players playing professionally abroad, so I would rather call up a domestic player than a player abroad in the fourth division.

“That’s a bit different in the Gambia because most of our players are in the top division. I think opportunities for the local players has been good.”

The former Uganda Men’s National Football Team coach added that the players are motivated to play and raise the country’s flag high under Benni McCarthy.

Johnathan McKinstry revealed that he expected Harambee Stars players to give up after The Gambia were leading 2-0 in their first leg, but they fought hard, frustrating The Scorpions with a draw.

“I also think the players have improved in their fighting spirit, and that can be seen when we drew 3-3. The previous Harambee Stars team would have given up at 2-0, but this new generation has been different,” Johnathan McKinstry added.

“Remember that was the coach’s first week and they got the equaliser that frustrated us, and even when you look at CHAN, they fought till the end.”

Now, as Harambee Stars lock horns with The Gambia for the second leg encounter on Friday, September 5, Johnathan McKinstry expects nothing but a brilliant display.