The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nasarawa United

  • ‘Nasarawa urged to win Sunday’s Federation Cup’

    ‘Nasarawa urged to win Sunday’s Federation Cup’

    Ahead of the 2016 Federation cup finals in Lagos this Sunday,  Nasarawa  State  Deputy  Governor, Silas Agara has charged   players  and officials of Nasarawa  United football club of Lafia to win the trophy as 20th anniversary gift to the State.

    The Deputy Governor gave the charge during a farewell dinner for the Lafia based team who were due to depart the State for a pre-final camping in Ibadan, Oyo State.

    Mr. Agara   maintained that  the  team’s remarkable qualification  for  the  epic final was a big honour to the Government and the people of Nasarawa State, especially as this is the first time that any football team from the State will be playing at that stage since the State creation 20 years ago.

    He further charged the boys and their officials to win the trophy and engraved their names in gold and re-writes the history of sports in the State.

    According to Mr. Agara, who is the pillar of sports in Nasarawa State, the victory will ensure that the teams return to continental   championship for two consecutive years, while the players will   remain heroes and role models to young athletes in the State.

    He however assured the team of support of government and the people of Nasarawa State who will be mobilized in their numbers to Lagos to cheer them to victory.

    Club Chairman, Barrister Isaac Danladi  appreciated  the moral, financial and physical support of government and the people of Nasarawa State so far and assured of their determination to deliver the trophy to the State.

    Nasarawa United is due to square up with Ifeanyi Ubah FC of  Inewi,  Anambra  State  in the epic final at the Teslim Balogun Stadium  in   Lagos on Sunday, 6th  November, 2016.

  • FEDERATION CUP FINAL: Nasarawa United arrive Ibadan with 26-man squad

    • To leave for Lagos on Thursday

    Players and technical crew of Nasarawa United arrived in Ibadan City on Sunday for three days camping ahead of Sunday’s Federation Cup final against FC Ifeanyi Ubah.

    The team left Lafia on Sunday morning with 23 players and a three-man technical crew.

    The club’s media officer, Musa Elayo disclosed to SportingLife that the team would be in Ibadan from Sunday till Thursday where they will be departing to Lagos for final preparation for the all-important final.

    Elayo added that the State Government has mobilized support for the team as he confirmed that the Deputy Governor Silas Agara delivered the state government’s message to the team before they departed Lafia.

    “The preparation is on top gear and we are set for the final showdown against FC Ifeanyi Ubah. We will have all the registered 35 players for the final on Sunday. Although, 23 players are in Ibadan for preparation but the remaining players will join them on Sunday. The team will start their training on Monday morning. The Government has mobilised fans from all local governments in the State to cheer the team on Sunday. The State Government has also provided everything needed for the team and has assured them of tangible reward if they win the trophy but no official promise for now,” said Elayo to SportingLife.

  • Igbinoba hails Nasarawa United’s coaches tactics

    Igbinoba hails Nasarawa United’s coaches tactics

    Esosa Igbinoba has disclosed that Nasarawa United did not find it difficult knocking Enyimba out of the 2016 Federation Cup semifinal tie in Ibadan because they had a game plan.

    “We worked on our coaches’ instructions from the start to the end of the match and we kept to our game plan which worked in our favour,” Igbinoba told Goal.

    “We have studied the video clips of Enyimba and from there we got most things about them including their weaknesses and this made the job easier for us during the encounter.

    “We knew they would come all out from the beginning of the match and after we got the opening goal we were aware the tie would become more difficult. We are through to the final of the Federation Cup and we will continue to relish the chance before we start preparing for the final.”

  • Fabiyi delighted with Nasarawa United’s victory

    Fabiyi delighted with Nasarawa United’s victory

    Nasarawa United striker, Tayo Fabiyi has expressed his delight scoring in his side’s victory against El-Kanemi Warriors.

    The former Shooting Stars forward scored twice to add to Abdulrahman Bashir’s well taken goal as the Solid Miners conquered the Desert Warriors 3-0 on Saturday.

    “I’m happy for the two goals, especially because it allowed us to win an important game,” Fabiyi told Goal.

    “We have to continue with this attitude, to keep doing things the way we are.

    “Our objectives? We want to end the season as high as possible.”

    Nasarawa United have temporarily moved to sixth on the NPFL log with 40 points.

  • Bature hails Nasarawa United’s performance

    Bature hails Nasarawa United’s performance

    Yaro Bature was happy to see Nasarawa United work as a unit during the home stretch of the 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) campaign.

    “Saturday’s performance was the game we were expecting to have a long time ago. Everything came together, especially in the first half. I think the first half was a different class in terms of the way we played, how we closed them down — we denied them the space, we denied them the ball,” Bature told Goal.

    ”We showed them that we were ready for business and initiated our plans at the appropriate time.”

    Following his first-half goal in a resounding 3-0 victory over a poor Sunshine Stars side, the former COD United youngster was very clear that the hit was about time for the Solid Miners.

    The Lafia-based outfit scored through Abdulrahman Bashir, Bature and Thomas Zenke as they left the Owena Waves clueless at the Aper Aku Stadium on Saturday.

  • Nasarawa United target victory against MFM

    Nasarawa United target victory against MFM

    Nasarawa United will approach today’s NPFL week 20 game against MFM at the Agege stadium with a mission to pay the Lagos based side in their own coin.

    The church side are the only team that defeated Nasarawa United at their adopted ground at the Aper Aku stadium in Makurdi earlier in the season.

    That defeat, according to the chairman of the Lafia based outfit, is still so fresh in the memory of players and fans of the club that the only thing that can erase that misery is to grab the maximum three points against the Olukoya Boys today.

    “MFM are the only team that defeated us in Makurdi where we have been playing our home matches this season and therefore,we are in Lagos on a revenge mission”Isaac Danladi,chairman of Nasarawa United told SportingLife in an interview yesterday.

    “We respect MFM for what they have been able to achieve in their first season in the Premier League but that won’t stop us from getting our pound of flesh from them at the Agege stadium.”

    Danladi,who also doubles as the chairman of club owners, admitted that the victory his team got over Enyimba last Sunday in Makurdi has put them in the right mental and physical shape ahead of today’s match.

    “While MFM were not in action last weekend,we played and defeated Enyimba who are the defending champions last Sunday.That victory has given my players the desired motivation and could also serve as the turn around needed for a steady progression to the top of the log.”

  • Nasarawa United to leave for Algeria today

    Nasarawa United to leave for Algeria today

    Nasarawa United will leave for Algeria by Turkish Airline today ahead of the CAF Confederation Cup first round, second leg tie against CS Constantine slated for Saturday.

    32 persons are expected to make the trip comprising the players, coaches and other officials and the Solid Miners will strive to protect their 1-0 home win recorded at Abuja National Stadium last Sunday in Constantine where the return leg is expected to be played.

    The chairman of the Lafia side, Isaac Danladi told SportingLife that the club would be going to Algeria with high hope knowing fully well that they have a goal to protect.

    He said the players have been told that they need to forget about the 1-0 advantage and strive to start on a clean slate in Algeria to ensure that they scale through the hurdle called CS Constantine.

    Danladi however said that the club is still sweating over the availability of striker, Tayo Fabiyi who was ruled out of the first leg tie on the account of ailment.

    He confirmed that Fabiyi must pass a late fitness test before it can be ascertained if he will make the trip or not.

  • Kabir Suleiman Dogo: Nasarawa United on right path

    Kabir Suleiman Dogo: Nasarawa United on right path

    Nasarawa United head coach, Kabir Dogo has said his side are on the right path towards qualifying for the next stage of Africa’s second tier club competition, CAF Confederation Cup.

    The Solid Miners piped visiting Club Sportif Constantine of Algeria 1-0 in the first leg second round clash on Sunday at the Abuja National Stadium.

    The former Plateau United goal poacher, Phillip Azango scored the match winner to hand his side a slim advantage going into the second leg clash in a week’s time in Constantine, Algeria.

    Dogo said his side are certain to get it right there at the opponents backyard to advance to the next stage of the competition.

    “It was a tight game as we rightly expected but the beauty of the outcome is that we will not have gone to sleep if we had won with as many as three unreplied goals. The opponents, CS Constantine are good side and represented the North African football quite creditable but they are beatable, too.

    “We will work on our mistakes and head off there to Algeria with confidence to get it right and advance to the next stage of the competition. We almost had similar situation against the Senegalese side, Generation Foot but against all odds we got it right to the shock of many who never gave us any chance.

    “We could have scored more goals if not our inability to take our chances at goal I think that is a loose end we must tighten before the second leg clash. I’m confident we are 100% in the race to qualifying for the next stage of the competition and we will not fail in the assignment,” said the former ABS coach to supersport.com.

    The Lafia side will take their slim advantage to the Algerian side for the reverse fixture clash billed for the weekend of March 18-20 at the 40,000 seats Stade Mohamed Hamlaoui.

     

  • Nasarawa United tackles Generation Foot in Abuja

    Nasarawa United tackles Generation Foot in Abuja

    All is set for today’s CAF Confederation Cup first round, first leg encounter between Nigeria’s Nasarawa United FC and AS Academie Generation Foot of Senegal, at the National Stadium, Abuja. The match will start at 4pm.

    On Saturday, the match coordination meeting held at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja with the match commissioner, Mr. Andy Quamie from Liberia presiding. The match referees from Mauritania are Referee Thiam Amadou, with Warr Abderrahman, Cheick Mamadou and Babacar Sarr as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2 and reserve referee respectively.

    Generation Foot’s delegation of 35 persons arrived in Abuja on Friday, and trained at the National Stadium on Saturday.

    Chairman of Nasarawa State Football Association, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali and NFF’s Ag. Director of Competitions, Bola Oyeyode were among officers at the match coordination meeting.

    While Nasarawa United players will dorn green jerseys for today’s encounter, the visitors from Senegal will be clad in ox-blood tops and shorts.

    The Solid Miners have thrown the gates open for the match against the Senegalese flagbearers, as Club chairman Isaac Danladi told thenff.com that: “we are calling on the good people of Abuja and environs to come and support us at the National Stadium so that we can feel truly at home and our players will be inspired to earn a handsome win.”

    While Generation Foot are campaigning on the continent for the first time, Nasarawa United played in the CAF Confederation Cup in 2007 after crashing out of the more lucrative CAF Champions League.

    On Friday, one of Nigeria’s flagbearers in the CAF Champions League, Enyimba FC, lost 0-1 to Vipers of Uganda in Kampala in a first round, first leg match.

  • Kamal: Enyimba won’t relax against Nasarawa United

    Kamal: Enyimba won’t relax against Nasarawa United

    Enyimba midfielder, Kamal Sikiru has stated that the People’s Elephants won’t lower their guard when they face Nasarawa United in the Match Day Five of the Glo Premier League Super Four today at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

    The Aba side are atop the Super Four with seven points from four matches and must beat Nasarawa United today to maintain top spot ahead of other clubs.

    Kamal scored Enyimba’s only goal against Warri Wolves on Monday and he

    has noted that the club would continue to keep doing well in the ongoing Super Four knowing that the tournament is their final preparation for the CAF Champions League preliminary round tie against Vipers of Uganda.

    Enyimba aims to get to at least the group stage of the competition and supplant their recent failures in the money spinning club competition.