Posted in News on Oct 12, 2006.
Obua arrived back in South Africa on Wednesday evening as he was away on international duty with the Ugandan national team in Niger and was unable to arrive back in the country earlier.
Obua was not feeling the effects of the travels which saw him having to be on the road for almost two days continuously in order to get back to Johannesburg with adequate time, to be well prepared for Saturday’s crucial game against Sundowns.
As he went through his paces in blistering morning heat on Thursday morning, Obua whose big match temperament has seen him win the adoration of the Chiefs fans for his exploits particularly against the likes of The Amakhosi’s main rivals Sundowns and Pirates, looked full of excitement as he paced around the FNB pitch at full speed.
Speaking after the training session Obua said “it took me a long time to get back because we had to fly from Niger to Mali where we had a lengthy transit, and then to Kenya where I waited another couple of hours to get a flight to Johannesburg”.
As to how he had coped with his first training session back after his lengthy time on the road, Obua answered “I feel fine. I did get to train with the Ugandan team on Monday before we began the long journey home, that did help keep me moving so I am 100% as we speak."
Chiefs player of the season during the 2005 – 2006 campaign, Obua has only one thing on his mind at the moment, and that is defeating the defending PSL Champions on Saturday. He is looking forward to continuing his antics from last season, which saw him find the back of the net on twice against the Brazilians in two PSL matches against them during the 2005 – 2006 campaign.
As he spoke with a twinkle in his eye about his match-winning penalty at the FNB Stadium, and his stunning free kick at Vodacom Loftus which ruffled the Sundowns net, Obua added “I don’t know why but since I was a kid every time and no matter what sport it was; whenever I came up against kids who were supposed to be better than me, it just happened to bring the best out of me. The same has been the case in recent times, coming up against the Sundowns' of this world makes me perform at my peak and I will ensure that continues this Saturday. One can say that I am on a hat-trick of sorts against them having scored in my last two league outings when I came up against Sundowns”.
Ernst Middendorp added his pleasure at Obua’s arrival and the fact that he will be available for Saturday’s game, “Having David back is a big plus for our preparations for Saturday’s game. These are the kind of games where you need your strongest possible team available for selection. With David Mathebula out with a knee injury it’s a welcome relief to have David Obua back”.
The Chiefs coach is looking ahead towards wrapping up his preparations for Saturday’s game with the defending PSL Champions on Friday afternoon, after which he will take his players selected for the squad for Saturday’s game, to a one day camp ahead of the big game.
