Excitement As NPFL 2013 Season Takes Centrestage

Five months after the end of the last season, Nigeria’s top flight football competition returned over the weekend.

Re-christened as the Nigeria Professional Football League, in a bid to distance it from the legal pot-holes afflicting the last competition, it was a welcome relief to actually see football played for a change.

And what a start it proved to be.

Watched by a mammoth crowd that included members of the League Management Company, led by chairman Nduka Irabor, the first televised game of the season was settled by Bitrus Dada’s first half goal.

The former Unicem Rovers striker took advantage of calamitous defending to poach the winner in a tightly-contested game.

On their way to the title last season, Kano Pillars won just one game away from home. That was against Akwa United on the final day of the season, with the title confirmed as theirs.

This time, they have wasted no time laying down their season’s marker. Rabiu Ali secured the winner with less than five minutes left.

But the three points almost turned to one when the home side were handed a penalty but fluffed it.

Solomon Ogbeide became the first coach this season to have a go at referees after his team were beaten 2-1 in Port Harcourt.

Ogbeide was livid that his side were denied a goal by the officials.

In any case, goals from George Amakiri and Frederick Obomanu gave the home side what looked like a commanding lead, until former Sharks man Akeem Yakubu came back to punish his old club just before the break.

Two days before the season started, Heartland General Manager,  Fan Ndubuoke said how unfair it was that his side had been classed as pretenders rather than contenders in the season preview.

On the evidence of their opening game, he may have cause to look inwards to find the cause of that gripe.

New boys Nembe City, in their first top flight game, showed little fear. Coached by ex-junior international full back John Aranka, they took the lead through Brown Braye.

Heartland took a while but eventually hit back. Olusesi finding a headed connection top Jolly Osas’ cross.

But Samuel Akinbinu settled matters with a goal of international quality with just over 15 minutes left to play.

With many of the players who helped the club reach the CAF Champions League semifinal having departed, Sunshine Stars looked disjointed as they welcomed Kaduna United to the Akure Township Stadium.

But they would be grateful to one the remaining old guard, Ajani Ibrahim, whose goal after eight minutes settled the fixture.

Former champions Bayelsa United marked their return to the top division with a narrow in over ever-present campaigners Lobi Stars.

Babangida Ibrahim saw his fierce left foot volley tipped away by John Lawrence before Iyasele Odili struck nearly on the stroke of full time.

Odili stole in at the back post to meet Otimoti Diri’s excellent cross.

Premier League returnees Nasarawa United and El Kanemi came face to face in this fixture that could have swung either way.

Neither side looked imposing enough and in the end, a barren draw was the best score.

If Nasarawa and El Kanemi cancelled each other out from the familiarity of having campaigned in the lower division last term, ABS and Kwara United’s familiarity came from proximity.

Both are based out of Kwara State, and know each other inside out. Last season, this opening fixture also ended in the same scoreline.

Kwara will be the happier of the two, having been on the receiving end of a 3-0 scoreline against ABS in the past.

Shooting Stars have played perhaps more pre-season games than any other club in the build-up to the season’s kick-off.

And the preparations showed in their dismantling of Gombe United, who arrived with a proud record of not having lost to the Oluyole Warriors in two seasons.

Tony Edjomariegwe and Osagona Ighodaro scored in a ten-minute first half spell to hand the Oluyole Warriors the full points.

Akwa United, who lost at home on the final day of last season, opened this campaign with a much needed win over Dolphins.