Away point, valuable birthday gift from my players, says Rivers United’s coach
Stanley Eguma, the Technical Manager, Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt, has commended his players for securing a point away at Gombe United to fulfil their promise to get him a fitting birthday gift.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gombe United played a goalless draw with Rivers United in a Match Day 18 fixtures of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) played at the Pantami stadium, Gombe.
Eguma, who stated this on Sunday in a post-match conference, described the away draw as a valuable point and a good result that kept them atop the NPFL league table.
He said his players promised to give him “a good birthday gift by winning the game’’, adding that they made a very frantic effort to secure the win but for the missed goal-scoring chances.
According to him, his players would have won the match but for the stiff opposition displayed by the hosts.
Eguma, who said that his birthday is today, stated that in spite his team’s failure to win the match, the away point secured was a consolation and birthday gift for him.
“The league is getting tougher and you need to get a lot of points away from home and ensure you maintain the momentum.
“We are really focused and determined but if the players can continue this way and end up their game, we will get there,” he said.
On his next match, Eguma said although Akwa United was a tough opposition anytime, his players would work above their capacity to pick maximum points against them.
On his part, Aliyu Zubairu, the technical adviser of Gombe United, said the match was highly contested.
“We met a side that is very experienced, a team that is coming from the continent,” he said.
He also described Rivers United as “a highly disciplined and tactical with lots of experience”.
“They gave us a good fight and they know that they met a team that is not easy to crack.’’
Zubairu said that although his team was not lucky to have secured the maximum points in the game, the players gave a good account of themselves on the field of play.
He, however, commended his boys for displaying courage and “giving all their best” even though their best was not enough.
Zubairu said: “The result is about football and we just have to take it the way it comes, we can go elsewhere and get the three points, that’s football.’’
On their next match, he said his team would be going to Kano Pillars in anticipation of getting the three points.
