NPFL: New Clubs Announce Arrival On Big Stage

Lionel Messi and his team mates celebrating his first goal yesterday against Arsenal during the Champions League match. Barca won by 2-0

Newly promoted clubs and new signings have started out brightly in the new Nigeria league season as Mountain of Fire Ministries FC (MFM) stunned home team Nasarawa, while Prince Aggreh and Kingsley Eduwo were the match winners for their new clubs, Kano Pillars and Lobi Stars, respectively.
On a day champions Enyimba lost at Rivers United, church club MFM announced their arrival on the big stage of Nigerian football with a sensational win at Nasarawa United, who finished third in the league last season and are campaigning in this year’s CAF Confederation Cup.
The chairman of the Lagos club, Godwin Enahkena, had warned that MFM will be “the Leicester City of Nigerian football” in reference to what the unfashionable club has achieved in the English Premier League this season after they battled to stay up last term.
Former Flying Eagles midfielder Ifeanyi Ifeanyi was the biggest star on parade by MFM in Makurdi and it was striker Musa Newman, back at the club after a stint at Sunshine Stars, who delivered the killer punch against ‘The Solid Miners’.
Plateau United also won the first game of the campaign when they defeated fellow newly promoted club Niger Tornadoes, while the fourth promoted club Ikorodu United forced Akwa United to a 1-1 draw.
MFM’s away win will earn them a cash prize of 500,000 Naira (about $2,500) from the league. FC IfeanyiUbah, Wikki and Lobi Stars won at Giwa, El Kanemi and Shooting Stars, respectively, to also pocket the same cash prize
Prince Aggreh crowned his debut for Kano Pillars by firing home a last-gasp winning goal against hard-fighting Enugu Rangers at a packed Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.
“It was a big win for us, but we missed so many chances. I never gave up until the final whistle,” said the elated former Sunshine Stars forward.
Another forward Kingsley Eduwo also has begun to justify his transfer to Lobi Stars when he netted the match winner at his former club Shooting Stars.
Midweek matches will be played today but the three clubs engaged in the continental competitions are exempted with their games postponed to March 16.