Goalkeeper Benjamin Ochan has come of age

Apr 17, 2017

But his rise to stardom hasn’t been easy.

Benjamin Ochan's stellar performance at the weekend was yet more proof that he is finally following in the footsteps of superstars like Dennis Onyango.

No wonder as the goalkeeper saved two penalties and also scored from the spot, suggestions began that he becomes the second Cranes goalkeeper.

But his rise to stardom hasn't been easy.

For over a decade, Ochan who is now 27, wondered what had gone wrong with his star as his career seemed to stall while his childhood
team-mates on the other hand matured into big names.

He was part of the Kampala Kids League programs that churned out Cranes players like Denis Iguma and Daniel Sserunkuma.

His efforts to make the big stage included stints with Victoria University and SC Villa.

He also tried out his luck with South Africa's Bloemfontein Celtics but couldn't get enough playing time.

He eventually settled at Lugogo in 2015. But even here, there seemed to be doubts.

This is at least going by the one year contracts he signed. The latest of these was in December.

KCCA will now have to quickly review his contract or else there will be many clubs out there hunting for his signature.

But amidst all the excitement, success is not about to get to Ochan's head. He remains modest.

Ochan refuses to take credit for KCCA's qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup group stage. He attributes KCCA's triumph over El Masry to the Almighty.

"Glory be to God," he said in an interview after Saturday's match.

"It was a team effort. Every player and official had a role to play. But most important God helped me out. He led me to the right
choices," he said.

He also points at veteran striker Geoffrey Sserunkuma as having had a big role. Ochan was supposed to take the fourth penalty and Brian Majwega the fi fth but Sserunkuma asked the players to swap.

"As the most experienced player on the team he must have seen the levels of confidence and felt I was better off taking the last
kick," Ochan added.

Ochan also had a decisive role in the first leg at Lugogo. He took the free long kick that Derrick Nsibambi scored in the dying
minutes.

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