Plateau United Football Club of Jos, on Sunday, pipped Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 in a 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match played at the New Zaria Road Stadium to maintain its hunt for the end of season Super Six that will determine the winner of the league.
The lone goal was scored by Mustapha Ibrahim from a penalty kick in the 39th minute of the match to send the Uyo team back empty handed.
The match day 14 encounter which was at best drab, could not produce any other goal but the three points were all the Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu tutored team needed to keep tabs on the top of group A in the abridged NPFL season.
In his post-match reaction,
Akwa United’s Chief Coach, Ayodeji Ayeni, said his team played according to plans even though it did not end the way they wanted.
“A penalty kick was awarded to the hosts and they made good use of it. But we will go back home and re-strategise.
“After the first half, we realised that their strength was in the midfield and I told the players to cut their attack through the midfield.
“I told them we can get our goals through the counter-attack. They tried that, but it didn’t work out.
“We are going to work ahead of our next home game, which is crucial for us so that we can get the three maximum points to sustain our position on the table,” he added.
Plateau United’s Chief Coach, Maurice Longmiap, on his part, said his team was full of anxiety while they played the match.
Longmiap said it was difficult to display good football when a player was anxious and his players could therefore not convert their goal scoring chances.
“They were told that we needed the three points with many goals and I think that made them anxious.
“Akwa United are a good team that cannot be written off by anyone and they gave a good account of themselves,” he said.
