Hey!
Yesterday, I tried so hard to forget about that Uyo defeat on Sunday. Not that I had high expectations—history and our current form don’t exactly inspire confidence. If you gave Octopus Paul the task of predicting Enyimba’s next match, he’d probably pass. Even a crystal ball would overheat trying to make sense of this team.
But this loss? It stings. And here are my reasons:
• Poor officiating can kill effort faster than a bad game plan. If the NPFL ever wants to see better refereeing, maybe they should start celebrating one decent officiating crew per month, just like the NNL—give them something to aspire to. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see fairer decisions from almost every centre.
• Akwa United have been punching bags all season. Bottom of the log. Teams have been taking turns picking their pockets home and away. Just 20 points from 22 games and somehow, we didn’t even get a sniff? Not even a lead to defend? How?
• Uyo should feel like home. We’ve trained there, played there, and never lost when using it as a home ground—even against stronger opposition. But instead of making that count, we let a struggling Akwa United outfight us in what could easily pass as our own backyard as well.
And now, our outstanding games mean nothing. Meanwhile, we are on our way to Benin City today for the match against Bendel Insurance tomorrow. Win in Benin City? We’re still stuck behind Ikorodu City. If Kwara United beat Shooting Stars tomorrow, we’ll be 9th. So much for continental dreams.
Well, there’s another way to the Continent—the President’s Federation Cup. We face Jaguar FC on Friday for a place in the Round of 64. Maybe this cup run will be our lifeline, our last shot at a return to CAF Competitions next season. But honestly? I won’t hold my breath.
Back tomorrow,
Enyimba Enyi!
