Sports
Ogunbote Rues Draw Against Kwara United
The Flying Antelopes were forced to a home draw by the Harmony Warriors but the gaffer is unmoved by Sunday’s slip-up
Enugu Rangers’ hopes of breaking into the top-three were dashed after being held to a 0-0 draw by Kwara United but Coach Gbenga Ogunbote has described it as a ‘temporary setback’
.Despite Rivers United, Katsina United and Niger Tornadoes were playing on Sunday, the match in Enugu handed the Flying Antelopes the opportunity to leapfrog their rivals into second.
However, the Enugu-based side was forced to a drab stalemate by the visitors and the tactician has blamed the setback on their carelessness while assuring they will make up for the slip-up.
“We are very sorry for the two points lost at home against Kwara United,” Ogunbote told Tidesports surce.
“You saw that we lost the game in the first half when we could have wrapped up the game but unfortunately we have paid dearly for our carelessness during the match.
“We were so careless, even when we ought to have scored three to four goals in the first half, I don’t think that was too much to do.
“In the second half, they only had one chance but we had several chances. Towards the end of the second half, they even got the advantage of attacking us. It was two points lost for us.
“I saw it was based on their game plan to search for late goals. It is a temporary setback and not a disaster. It has happened now but we will definitely make amends.”
With the draw, Enugu Rangers are now seventh on the log with 23 points from 17 games and will face Ifeanyi Ubah in their next tie in Nnewi on Sunday.
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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