NPFL Week 26: Elkanem Warriors goal keeper was Heartland FC night mare – Amunike
From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Coach Emmanuel Amunike of Heartland FC, Owerri confessed that his team’s efforts to garner 3 points in their week 26 Nigeria Premier Football league, NPFL mid-week encounter with Elkanem Warriors FC, Maiduguri was frustrated by the superlative performances of the visiting team’s goal keeper, Kolawole Oladipo.
The tension soaked tactical game was played last Wednesday at Dan Anyiam Stadium,Owerri as both teams justified their mastery of the round leather game even though the 95 minutes game ended in goalless draw.
Speaking to Sports Journalists, immediately after the match at the VIP stand of the stadium, Amunike said, “we came into the game with an objective of winning and Heartland team played the game, unfortunately in the first half they were not clinical as they lost a lot of scoring chances even in second half.
“We must give credit to Elkanem’s goal keeper for some exceptional saves. The goal keeper was at his best and he was able to frustrate our goal efforts.
“We controlled the game and even took the game to them, but at times, it’s frustrating that the objective of achieving 3 points is not achieved” he lamented.
He said it point blank that his greatest expectation is to always play the game and stabilize the team, lamenting that people tend to forget history easily, especially as it concerns what the club has gone over the years.
“We’re desperately keen to see how we grow as a team and how we continue to stabilize as a team. The team has tremendously improved, if you talk of a team that knows how to manage the game in Nigeria today, Heartland FC, Owerri must be in the front burner of the rating.
“It’s unfortunate that some times, if the team is not getting the needed results, it seems that the team is not doing well nor in their best. We also have to be grateful, because we could have also lost the game.
“Elkanem is a very good team, we have to be very very realistic. First time we played them, we discovered that it’s a team that likes to play. It’s a team that is not afraid to play even in a tight corner.
“These made them to be more dangerous and most of their players seems to know what is expected of them at any point in time, for me, it’s a very good team” he noted.
The Sweat Merchant pointed out the need for them to go into the drawing board, analyse their strengths and weaknesses before their next match with Ikorodu City FC, Lagos.
In his reaction, Coach Mohammed Mohammed, the Assistant Coach of Elkanem Warriors of Maiduguri, expressed happiness and excitement for picking a point from Heartland FC Owerri home base, considering what he said about conspiracy in their home front.
“It was a payback time, Heartland FC garnered a point from us when they played us at Maiduguri last year during the first stanza of the league”.
Mohammed gave kudos to his players for living up to expectation despite missing litany of scoring chances.
He attributed his team’s ability to curtail Heartland despite being one man down to, hard work noting that the team is built up in such a structure that any player can score including the wingers.
The tactician thanked and congratulated the fans for their patience and enjoined them not to relent in their supportive approaches.
In his accessment of the home, Mohammed said that, “Heartland team is solid, Amunike is a good coach, but needed few touches for perfection and good results .
“All about the game of football is you either win, loose or draw. Heartland has to go back to the drawing board, perform critical surgery on their lapses so as to consolidate in their next match” he advised.
