Sierra Leone Academy set for New Grosvenor

Lisburn man Johnny McKinstry is on the cusp of leading his Sierra Leone side one step closer to the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
Johnny McKinstry is hoping his Sierra Leone team will be through to the next round of CAN qualifying this weekend. (Pic: Darren McKinstry)]Johnny McKinstry is hoping his Sierra Leone team will be through to the next round of CAN qualifying this weekend. (Pic: Darren McKinstry)]
Johnny McKinstry is hoping his Sierra Leone team will be through to the next round of CAN qualifying this weekend. (Pic: Darren McKinstry)]

The 29 year-old will lead his team into the second round second leg against the Seychelles with a 2-0 advantage on Saturday, knowing a win would tee up a place in the group stages of the qualification process alongside World Cup sides Ivory Coast and Cameroon as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Meanwhile, a Sierra Leone Academy side, in NI for this summer’s Milk Cup will play a Distillery Academy XI at New Grosvenor on Monday (4 August) at 6.45pm. McKinstry helped Simon Wragg to organise the game during a busy period in his management of the national team.

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McKinstry’s side have already come through the first round of qualifiers, seeing off Swaziland 2-1 on aggregate.

In the second round, they were drawn against the Seychelles, who they beat 2-0 at home in the first leg.

Should they hold on in Saturday’s second leg, they’ll begin the group campaign in the Ivory Coast on 5 or 6 September. From the group, the top two progress to the finals, alongside the highest ranked third place team and hosts Morocco.

If McKinstry can lead the side to qualification for the 16-team African Cup of Nations, he’ll be the first manager to have done so since 1996.

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After the first leg win over the Seychelles, Mckinstry told his official website www.johnnymckinstry.com:

“Obviously a 2-0 score-line is a big step in the right direction but we know that any opponent can be dangerous. We travel there, going to play in their home stadium in front of their home fans and we know that will be difficult.

“However, we believe that the score-line today has put us in a strong position and we go there looking to win that game and to seal the tie that will take us into the group stages.

“Since coming is as Head Coach of Sierra Leone around 15 months ago, I have tried to implement a number of changes, including a change in philosophy.

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“We are really starting to see that take hold. Winning becomes habit and in our last three games we have put together three victories and a draw. That gives the players confidence, it gives the staff confidence and gives the whole nation a lift.

“We look to continue taking forward our philosophy and our game plan and we know that will take us onto greater heights.”

Sierra Leone are currently ranked 64th in the world, 25 places higher than Northern Ireland.