The Lugazi FC Technical Committee has named Fahad Emuran as the club’s Player of the Year for 2023/24, following a season in which the goalkeeper performed consistently and produced many sublime saves.

In what has been a hugely rewarding campaign for our first team, Emuran played every single minute of the BetPawa FUFA Big League action and was regularly on hand to save his side.

Emuran becomes the first recipient of this recognition after an inspired season on an individual basis.

Emuran, who joined the club at the start of the season to replace Anthony Emojong, who had moved to KCCA FC had huge shoes to fill, but he emphatically stuck to the task to make the No.1 spot his own.

The former Kibuli SS goalkeeper started in the maximum of Lugazi’s 29 league games this season and was wonderfully consistent between the sticks, setting the base for his teammates up front to challenge for promotion to the StarTimes Uganda Premier League.

Emuran accumulated a total of 13 clean sheets in the league during the campaign, and was nominated for all our Fans Player of the Month polls, though he was not a recipient of the award in any month.

The POTS award is awarded as a significant mark of respect and appreciation for outstanding performance from the club and Emuran should be proud of his efforts throughout 2023/24.

Of Emuran’s performances this season, his displays away to Kigezi HomeBoyz late in the season, with two games to left to play and away to Kataka in Mbale last December stand out.

The Leaders picked up a 2-1 win away to Kataka, despite the hosts being awarded a penalty in the first half, and had to complete the game with 10 men.

Our goalkeeper stepped up to the challenge and repelled Swamad Okur’s penalty to keep the team in the game, before Samuel Ssemugugu stepped up to bury a late penalty and earn Lugazi three points.

In the 2-0 away tie to Kigezi, it was once again Emuran who stole the headlines, producing some sublime saves to keep the score at 2-0 in the second half, and ensure that the promotion race stayed in our control.

Emuran won the BetPawa FUFA Big League Golden Glove, having kept the most clean sheets in the season – keeping five of those clean sheets in the final six games of the season.

After an excellent campaign, Emuran is almost certain to start the new season as Lugazi’s No.1 in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League next season.