Akwa United’s defeat by Hawks a minor blip, says Ubong Friday

Akwa United surprisingly lost its opening game of the CAF Confederation Cup 1-2 to Hawks of The Gambia at home last weekend. The defeat came despite the fact that the Uyo-based team dominated possession throughout the game.

And now, for the team to remain in the competition, Akwa United must beat Hawks in Banjul by at least two goals. That is exactly a task the team’s mercurial winger, Ubong Friday believes they can achieve. Despite that defeat, Friday says the confidence level of the team remains high as it looks forward to all upcoming matches.

Akwa United will be in action today against MFM of Lagos in a rescheduled NPFL Matchday 8 fixture at the Agege Stadium.

Friday, who has scored two goals so far this season, said the team’s defeat to Hawks FC will not affect their league performance and hinted that it is fully focused on the match against MFM.

“We have put our defeat against Hawks behind us. We have picked ourselves up and we are looking forward to the task ahead.

“Our target is to win our next match against MFM. We hope to continue with our fine run in the league. Getting a result in Lagos will motivate us more to consolidate our position on the log and plan well for the trip to Gambia,” he said. 

The Promise Keepers are top of the NPFL table with 16 points from seven matches, while their hosts, MFM are on the 17th position, eight points behind the league leaders.

Akwa United will be aiming to go three league matches unbeaten against the Olukoya Boys following a win and a draw against them last season.

Akwa United has scored 14 goals in seven matches and will be expecting to continue its scoring spree at the Agege Stadium today.