Lwanga carries all his tools

Paul Put will mark his first year in charge of the Cranes on November 2.

And among the features of his reign has been the willingness to try out a number of players on the Cranes fringes.

The midfield area has particularly proved a problematic area with Put trying out various partnerships involving Khalid Aucho, Ronald Ssekiganda, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Joel Sserunjogi, Umar lutalo, Allan Oyirwoth.

Hudu Mulikyi, , Bright Anukani, , Hamza Kawooya, Ibrahim Kasule have also previously been summoned but hardly impressed.

Having last featured for the Cranes in September, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Niger, Taddeo Lwanga’s name consequently came as a surprise when Put summoned his 27-man squad for Afcon Qualifier double-header against South Sudan.

Even then, Put did not seem confident enough to field the software engineer in the first game against South Sudan opting for the midfield pivot of captain Aucho and Ronald Ssekiganda with Travis Mutyaba ahead of them.

And like with many of his previous encounters under him, the Cranes struggled to control the first leg game at Namboole last week with Ssekiganda who has shone in flashes eventually replaced by Bobosi Byaruhanga.

The former Vipers man who now turns out for American side Austin FC II in the MLS Next Pro League only fared slightly better while there were also calls for the long-serving Aucho to also be dropped.

Put however resisted the call and instead handed Lwanga his first start in Cranes colours in over a year alongside Aucho in the double pivot.

The pair responded with helping the Cranes to arguably the team’s best performance under Put as Uganda recorded a 2-1 win over South Sudan to leave them on the verge of returning to Afcon after missing the previous two editions.

Lwanga, known for his hard tackling and made famous by former KCCA coach Mike Mutebi comments during his side’s duels with Vipers instead impressed with his willingness to always be in position to receive the ball at the base of midfield.

Without appearing to try too much, Lwanga often initiated play with one touch football while bringing others into play.

There were also a couple of forward forays from the APR midfielder who flashed a header wide from a corner in the second half and also had a shot go over the bar.

While one could argue that the display came against the worst team in Group K, there can be no doubts about the assuredness Lwanga brought into the team.

Taddeo Lwanga

Age:30

Place of Birth: Kampala 

Position: Midfielder

Current club  

APR, Rwanda

Former clubs

AS Arta/Solar7, Djibouti

Simba, Tanzania

Tanta, Egypt

Vipers

SC Villa

Express