Football
The final game of match
day 10 of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) holds on Sunday at
the Akure Township Stadium.
Sunshine Stars and Rivers
United will be the two sides that will go head to head in search of crucial
points as they seek to leave the wrong end of the table.
The Stars are currently in
the relegation zone and United are not too far away from the murky waters
either.
Sunshine Stars have not
won an NPFL game in their last five attempts with their last victory recorded
over a month ago, specifically on January 25 against Kano Pillars in Akure.
The Stars’ build up to
Sunday’s game has been anything but straightforward with players of the
football club embarking on protests in the week to press home demands over the
non-payment of their financial entitlements.
Head coach of the Akure
club, Kayode Olujohungbe however insists his plans for the game against United
went according to script and predicts an easy win on Sunday.
“My boys never went on
strike this week. They merely went on protests.
“Each time they went on
those protests under their captain, Abe Sunday, they sought for our permission.
“We could not stop them
(from protesting) because they need to get the monies owed them.
“They never missed
training and we are ready for the game on Sunday.
“Rivers United is a very
strong side but the statistics show that they don’t usually pose much problems
for us when they play in Akure.
“Last season, we took four
points off them in the league and I see something similar happening again this
season,” Olujohungbe said.
Olujohungbe will choose
between two exceptional goal keepers, Henry Ayodele and Olorunleke Ojo for
Sunday’s game while Kehinde Adedipe, Ambrose Onyema, Kelechi Ogoh and Nojeem
Raji will be favourites to start in defence for the Owena Whales.
Sikiru Alimi, Samad Kadiri
and Oke Oghagotewho are other important personnel Olujohungbe will be relying
on to deliver the goods against the Pride of Rivers who have the odds heavily
stacked against them.
United’s form domestically
has been patchy. The Port Harcourt club have never beaten or scored against
Sunshine Stars and are winless in their last four NPFL games.
United were beaten 1-0 the
last time they visited Akure with veteran, Dele Olorundare firing in a peach of
a free kick which left Sunday Rotimi with no chance.
Technical manager of the
Port Harcourt club, Stanley Eguma remembers that defeat vividly and knows his
charges will have to be up for the challenge on Sunday to avoid a repeat of
last season’s reverse.
“Sunshine Stars have a
good team and we respect them a lot.
“We know we have to be
strong as a team and try to take our chances when we get them,” he said.
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