Sports
NPFL: Rivers Utd Looks To Stun Plateau In Jos
As hostilities resume today in Day 2 of the 2017/2018 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season, Rivers United FC’s Coach, Stanley Eguma says his team is sure of picking a point in Jos.
The 2016/2017 champions, Plateau United would play host to Rivers United to re-enact a rivalry that is turning out to be one of the NPFLs most compelling fixtures.
Both sides opened their respective accounts with victories over El-Kanemi Warriors and Nasarawa United at the weekend, to make their upcoming fixture a must win for either side.
Champions, Plateau United claimed a stunning 1-0 win over Nasarawa United in Lafia, while Rivers United also won by a lone goal at home to El-Kanemi Warriors.
Plateau United will, however, against all odds be the favourite to pick the three points at home against the backdrop of their home support from teeming fans and status as defending champions.
The “Peace Boys’’ look very promising on current form ahead of their maiden outing in the CAF Champions League.
Raphael Ayagwa scored the winner in Lafia last Sunday and would be seeking to impress against their Port Harcourt-based opponents.
But in spite of the intimidating nature of the upcoming showdown against the Kennedy Boboye tutored side, Coach Eguma was, however, not scared of the likely outcome of the match.
“Plateau United has started well and they also did well last season. They have made good recruitments, but we are already on track with our opening day victory over El Kanemi Warriors.
“My players are happy and I know they will also want to be happy on the trip back to Port Harcourt from Jos.
“Everyone here is determined to go to Jos to get the points. I will not be on the boastful side because I know that the league is just beginning.
“I am assuring the fans that we will not let them down as we will be going there to get victory but if we can only get a draw, it is also acceptable,’’ Eguma said.
Apart from Samuel Akinbinu who suffered a shoulder injury against El Kanemi Warriors, Eguma told decalre that he had almost a full squad to work with in the Jos showdown.
“Prince Aggrey impressed on Match Day 1 fixtures on Sunday against El Kanemi and will be favoured to start his second game in as many matches.
“Ochowechi Salefu debuted on Sunday and has been included yet again in the United’s Match Day squad.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor