Week 37 Matches To Hold Simultaneously By 3.00pm
In world football, only a few teams have gone on to make strong statements a season after their promotion to the elite class of their league. Leicester City tops the class as they went on to win the league after moving from the championship, but Girona of Spain only came close after securing a UEFA Champions League ticket following their promotion from the Secunda Liga to Laliga same year.
Now, that’s the exalted club Ikorodu City in the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) want to join.
The ‘Oga Boys’ are in their first season in the NPFL, but they have punched above the expectations of pundits, who reckoned that rather than being among the top four teams, the Lagos side would battle with relegation in their first encounter with the big boys.
In the 20-team league, Ikorodu City is placed fourth with 56 points, five points behind second-placed Rivers United and a point below Abia Warriors, who are third.
The second-placed team in the league qualifies to join Remo Stars, who have already won the title, in the CAF Champions League, while third-placed side will play in the CAF Confederation Cup.
That means that with two games to go, if Ikorodu City win their final matches and Rivers United lose theirs, the Oga Boys will play in the Champions League on their debut season in the NPFL. But if that is not possible, then they will play in the Confederation by winning their games, while Abia Warriors drop a point in their remaining two matches.
The second scenario looks more plausible as Ikorodu City have vowed to win their matches beginning with the cracker against champions-elect, Remo Stars in Ikenne this weekend.
On Wednesday, Ikorodu City defeated Bayelsa United 3-2 in a pulsating encounter that brought out all that is good in the Nigerian game. But confronting Remo Stars in their lair will be a more difficult encounter as the Ikenne team have not taken any prisoner in all their games at home.
But that is a bridge Coach Nurudeen Aweroro hopes to cross when they get there.
“We have come this far within this time and I don’t think anything will stop us from ending the season on a good note,” Aweroro said after the game against Bayelsa United.
“We noticed anxiety and little mistakes by my boys in the game against Bayelsa United and we hope to correct such mistakes in the remaining games,” he added.
Leftback, Austin Harrison Uzondu, sums up the feelings among Ikorodu City players thus: “As a newcomer in the league, our objective was to stay in the league this season.
“Unfortunately, we started badly, but the coach kept talking to us, building our confidence and now, we fear nobody. We will keep pushing until we qualify to play in Africa.”
After this weekend’s game, Ikorodu City will return to Lagos to battle Abia Warriors in a game that will define both teams season.
A win for Abia Warriors will confirm their first ticket to any continental championship, this time the CAF Confederation Cup. If Ikorodu City wins, they will overtake Abia Warriors in the race for the continent, while a draw will tilt the race to the side that did better in their game this weekend.
This weekend, Abia Warriors are at home to El Kanemi Warriors in a game every pundit expects them to win.
Last week, Abia Warriors pulled a draw at Niger Tornadoes and that momentum is expected to take them victory this weekend in Umuahia.
Former champions, Enyimba, are not completely out of the picture as any slip by Ikorodu United and Abia Warriors will put them in the position to finish third and win the CAF Confederation Cup ticket.
On Wednesday, Brown Ideye scored two goals to power Enyimba to a 2-0 defeat of Kwara United in Aba. The win kept Enyimba in the fifth position with just one point behind Ikorodu City.
Enyimba will be away to Nasarawa United this weekend and will end their season with a home game against Plateau United in Aba.
Meanwhile, the NPFL has directed a simultaneous Kickoff time of 3.00 p.m. for all Matchday 37 fixtures.
