Sports
Nikyu Worried After Home Draw With MFM
Coach Bala Nikyu believes his side did enough to pick maximum points against struggling MFM in the match 18 of the NPFL game in Lafia.
The Solid Miners came from behind to snatch a point against the Olukoya Boys who are currently stuck to bottom of the league table.
MFM drew the first blood within two minutes of kick-off. Chukwudi Ekeocha scored from 30 metres after his side won a free-kick.
The home side pressed on in search of a leveller, but t arrived towards the end of first half.
Aliyu Abdullahi pounced on a deflected ball off Moses Adikwu’ leg following a Michael Tochukwu’s low strike at the nick of half-time to restore parity.
Nasarawa couldn’t get the winner in the second-half with both sides equally sharing the points.
It was the 4th home draw for the Solid Miners, a result that allowed them to slip to 12th position with twenty-two points.
Speaking at the post match conference, Bala Nikyu said he’s disappointed with the results.
“Football can be cruel, at times, because if you look at the MFM side, I don’t think it’s a team that can cause upset, but the funny side of the game came to play.
“It’s a disappointing result, but it’s part of the game.
“If anyone had told the visiting team that they would get a decent result here, they would argue it.
“We hope to better our performance in our next game against Shooting Stars in a week’s time in Ibadan.
“We will go all out for the game, and make up for our missed chances here at home.”
MFM interim Coach Isiekwene however believes, it was a matter of missed opportunity for his team to get three points.
“Our game plan was to come here and win because our position on the league standings is very very poor, but a draw is not a bad result for us.
“Nasarawa United has a good team. I have been monitoring them for the past few days, and learning more about them. They are, unarguably, one of the best teams in the elite league, and they showed that today again.
“I was contracted not too long ago, and I will continue to pull everyone together to enable us get out of the difficult state we find ourselves,” he said.
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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