Sports
Rivers Angels Set To Tackle Osun Babes
Yakubu Gowon Stadium
would be the ideal place to be for sports lovers, as the Rivers Jewel, Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt play host to visiting Osun Babes of Oshogbo today in one of the week three encounter of the on going 2018/2019 Nigeria Women Premiere League NWPL.
The fixture, which promises to be a thriller would ensure that the Angels have their pound of flesh on their visitors to make up for their lost incurred from Delta Queens in the week two fixture.
The Angels, will stop at nothing to Garner the three points at stake for today’s match as they enjoy the support of their home fans with their determination for an immediate victory
However, their Osun counterpart will do everything to stop the host from actualising their dream, the visitors who have just a point as their host from two matches so far in their group would not do their host the honour of having the day.
Osun Babes would fight to burst the bubbles of the homers or at least share points with the Angels in today’s match.
Meanwhile, Rivers Angels won 1-0 against Fc Robo and lost 1-0 to Delta Queens in the week one and fixtures respectively.
While their opponent, Osun Babes, also have a point having won 1 -0 against Robo FC and played 0-0 against Delta Queens of Asaba, from two matches.
Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt, Delta Queens Asaba, Osun Babes of Oshogbo and FC Robo of Lagos are all in group A of the NWPL.
On the other hand, head coach of Rivers Angels football club of Port Harcourt, Edwin Okon, has said that his team is fully prepared to play win Osun Babes.
The encounter is one of the day three games, scheduled to hold at Yakubu Gowon, Stadium, today, in the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL).
He explained that they have forgotten the 1-0 away loss against Delta Queens, last week at Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State, adding that they have trained very hard to secure the maximum three points.
Okon said this in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium Port Harcourt, shortly after the team’s training session.
“We have trained very hard because Osun Babes is a good side in the NWFL,” Okon said.
The Jewel of Rivers head coach pledged to redeem their image in the presence of their home fans and supporters.
“We know the importance of the three points so all hands must be on the deck to win the match,” he stated.
Nancy Briggs & Kiadum Edookor
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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