Doma United Football Club today, Wednesday December 6th, 2023, forced Kwara United to a goalless draw in the Matchday 12 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) decided at the Main-Bowl of the State Stadium Complex, Ilorin, in what Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo termed ‘a huge setback’.
Basking on the euphoria of the home win against Gombe United, and a one-all draw against Akwa United in Eket last Saturday, Kwara United approached the game with much enthusiasm, but that wasn’t enough to breakdown the time wasting Savannah Scorpions.
The far Northern team also have their goalkeeper, Kingdom Osayi to thank, for putting up a performance that did not only extend his team’s unbeaten run in the league, but also ensured he extended his clean sheet feat to eight.
Coming into this game, Osayi did not concede a single goal in all six games in November, and has been nominated for NPFL Player of the Month for the month.
Coach Onigbinde of Doma United, while commending Osayi for the wonderful performance, said that the plan was to come to Ilorin to extend their unbeaten run, adding that, achieving it means a lot to his team.
“It was a good game, and the result came out exactly how we wished it. Ahead of our visit, we studied Kwara United, worked on their weaknesses and strengths, knowing fully well that they are one of the best sides in the league.
“Our target was to qualify for the continental competition, and picking a point this way, especially on away ground will assist our course in the long run.
But for Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo, the result was a big setback, blaming the outcome on the time wasting antics employed by the away team.
“The referee, I think, was too lenient with the visitors despite wasting too much time. In the first half alone, we played less that 30 minutes, as their players were falling all around the field. That’s negative football.
“And again, the pitch is not smooth enough for us to fully execute our well known philosophy, but we will continue to work hard to achieve the set objectives for the season.
Meanwhile, Bernard Ovoke was picked as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the match, after putting up a stellar show.
However, the winger expressed disappointment as his team wasn’t able to win the game, which, according to him, would have been an added value to the team, in pursuit of the utmost objective this season.
