Nigeria Content Online

Action
in the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) continues today with six matches
on the cards, top of which is the encounter in Kano between 2009
champions Kano Pillars and league defending champions Enyimba.

The game has all the trappings of a cup final and is expected to be witnessed by a capacity crowd at the Sani Abacha Stadium.

“We have put behind
us the result of last weekend’s game and looking ahead to the game
against Enyimba,” said Kano Pillars coach, Salisu Yusuf whose side
suffered a 2-0 loss away to Crown in Ilaro last weekend.

“We were
unfortunate to concede those goals but we have used the past few days
to correct our errors and I expect a good performance on Sunday.”

Both Pillars and Enyimba have been far from impressive this term.

Enyimba, in
particular, have been poor on the road losing to Sunshine Stars and
handing newly promoted Bukola Babes their first ever win in the
Nigerian top flight division.

“Enyimba have good
players but I don’t think they have found their rhythm yet,” continued
Yusuf. “It is the same thing with us; we haven’t yet hit the level we
know we are capable of and that is what we will be aiming to do on
Sunday.

“It will be a good
match and as usual, I expect the stadium to be filled to capacity which
is why we have to give the fans a win,” added the former Nigeria
international.

Sunshine poised to shine against Gombe

A capacity crowd
may not be in Ijebu Ode to witness the game between Sunshine Stars and
Gombe United, but the game also looks set to be very interesting.

Both Sunshine and
Gombe, prior to yesterday’s round of matches, respectively occupied the
5th and 2nd spots on the league table but know a win today will
catapult them to the top of the table.

Gombe, in
particular will feel confident of coming away from the encounter with
at least a draw basically because Sunshine have, since the start of the
season, been prosecuting their home matches away from their traditional
Akure Township Stadium home ground which failed to meet the standards
set by the league organisers, the Nigeria Premier League (NPL).

But Sunshine have
been anything but easy meat for visiting sides at the Gateway
International Stadium as exemplified by their impressive wins over
Enyimba (2-1) and Rangers (2-0).

“A lot of these
teams thought that we would be easy meat for them especially since we
are playing our games at Ijebu Ode,” Mike Idoko, the executive director
of the Ondo State Football Agency, the parent body of the club, said.

“But Ijebu Ode fans have easily taken to us because of our brand of football.

“We have beaten two
of the biggest clubs in Nigeria here in Ijebu Ode and we feel very much
at home here.” Gombe look set to go the same path as Rangers and
Enyimba as they have been inconsistent on the road with all their wins
so far this season all coming at home.

A fortnight ago,
they lost 3-0 to Dolphins in Port Harcourt for their first defeat of
the campaign, with all three goals arriving in the second half.

And if they fail to
get their acts together today, they just might be in for a sound
beating at least that is what Idoko hopes Sunshine players will do
today.

“We are going to
beat Gombe, hopefully it will be a big win with a couple of goals,”
continued the former Warri Wolves manager. “We are not going to
underestimate them but Gombe are small boys compared to teams like
Enyimba and Rangers that we have already beaten.”

Part of Idoko’s
optimism stems from the fact that Sunshine are one of the few sides in
the league to have completely paid off the balance of sign-on fees owed
to players from last season’s campaign. They even went to the extent of
paying the money owed some of the players from two seasons back by the
erstwhile management of the club.

“We have paid up
what was owed them from 2008 up to last season,” he said. “We are now
on the verge of paying the players 50 per cent of their sign-on fees
for this season and these are part of the reasons why they have been
playing their hearts out for the club.”

In other games
scheduled for today, Zamfara United will be at home to Sharks, while
Ocean Boys will welcome Niger Tornadoes to Yenegoa’s Samson Siasia
Stadium.

Lobi Stars, who last weekend lost 2-1 to Warri Wolves, will be up
against Kaduna United while Heartland will take on Crown at the Dan
Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.