Abakaliki FC edges Akwa Ibom United 1–0

Abakaliki FC edges Akwa Ibom United 1–0

From Nabob Ogbonna,Abakaliki

Abakaliki Football Club popularly known as Rice Boys yesterday defeated Akwa United in the week match 27 with 1-0 to remain hopeful on top in Nigeria National League (NNL) this season.

The wining goal scored by Chigozie Nwafor came few minutes in the beginning of the second half.

The match was played at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium Abakaliki the state capital yesterday.

Speaking to journalists at the end of game, the head coach of Abakaliki FC, Mr. Starplus Anista, lauded his team’s resilience and tactical display at the game.

“I feel very excited. I’m impressed with the performance of the boys. We knew this was going to be a very tough game knowing that the outcome here has serious implications on who gets promoted and who doesn’t.

“They needed all three points to remain on top but we fought hard and secured it,”he stated.

The coach also addressed murmurs of internal criticism and selection controversies in the team, insisting that the selection were based on the players performance during training.

“In football, performance in training determines selection not reputation on paper. We block out distractions and focus on results. When you win, the critics naturally go quiet,”he explained.

Looking ahead, Anista has his sights set on a strong finish, with an away fixture against Rovers FC in Calabar tagged another hurdle of the season.

“We want to finish in the top three or four. That’s our target. We haven’t secured an away win this season only draws. It would be special to end the campaign with a victory on the road,”he said.

The goal scorer, Nwafor who plays 7 position for the Rice Boys, gained that man of the match.

“Football is about wining and joy seeing my club win but this was a very tough match and we stayed focused. Now we are looking ahead, we are going to Calabar to win,” Nwafor assured.