Jogoos yielding from Ssekiganda rise

Serbian Dusan Stojanovic endeared himself to the SC Villa faithful on day one by unveiling a ball possessive and counter-attacking approach. 

Although at times he has been betrayed by a profligate attack force, Stojanovic has stuck to his guns to push the Jogoos to third slot in the closely contested StarTimes Uganda Premier League. 

Tied on 48 points from 26 matches with second-placed Kitara, Villa are a point adrift of table leaders Vipers with three games left, and can afford to dream big. 

The Serb's  tactical game plan is usually orchestrated from the midfield and midfielder Ronald Ssekiganda was elected as the fulcrum with protagonist Patrick Kakande as the main attacking route. 

Lanky Ssekiganda's distinct strengths include progressing the ball from his deep midfield position, coordinating with the  ball-carrying midfield partner Diego Ssemugera and then launching attacks. 

In Villa's come-from-behind 3-2 triumph over Wakiso Giants on Wednesday at Wankulukuku, Ssekiganda showed glimpses of that passing ability, notably linking with Kakande and Hakim Kiwanuka which earned him the man-of-the-match gong. 

The hallmark of the Jogoos attack under Stojanovic has also featured six-goal hero Umar Lutalo and striker Charles Lwanga, with Ssekiganda acting as the glue of that pact. 

Scoring against the Purple Sharks took his goal tally to three strikes and the way he telepathically complemented everyone around him must have sent watching Uganda Cranes deputy coach Sam Ssimbwa into total satisfaction. 

The natural thought would be that Ssekiganda is now the first-choice  starter for SC Villa and Cranes, that play next month, but he still has some rough edges to iron out. 

It seems he cherry picks matches to shine, and has at times been whisked off when he goes AWOL in matches. 

Then there was that weird moment when he went into a meltdown when Villa beat Mbarara City 2-1 at Wankulukuku when he returned from the dressing room sobbing (reportedly slapped by a top administator for a poor show) and was subbed minutes into the second half. 

Ssekiganda made amends whe he put up a stellar display, bossing the KCCA midfield at Namboole despite Villa losing the match 2-0.

He is still work in progress but Stojanovic will demand more from him in the next three matches against UPDF, Nec and URA if Villa are to break the 20-year  UPL trophy hoodoo. 

In his first spell at Villa Park, Stojanovic is attempting to transform the Jogoos from a rugged, capitulating side, to a quick-punching, ball-dominant one that can wrestle Vipers and KCCA for top honours. 

In doing so, he has empowered lads like Kenneth Seemakula, Ssekiganda, Cyrus Kibande, Kakande, Jean Brady Wokorach and Lutalo to shoulder the huge burden of expectations.