Finally, it is the last day of October. A month that came with all the sweetness of promise but ended up serving us nothing but limes. Bitter ones too. Most of us cannot wait to flip the calendar and pretend October never existed. Because honestly, what was that?
September had set us up for hope. We were on fire. We did not even know what it felt like to lose. There was rhythm, belief, pride, and that glorious away win where we even managed to keep a clean sheet. Everything screamed ascendancy. The dream of a tenth league title did not just look realistic, it looked like destiny. We may not have been topping the table, but we were close enough to smell the perfume of first place. October arrived looking bright, and our confidence was loud enough to wake up the entire NPFL.
Then came the heartbreak. October did not just humble us, it yanked us by the collar and asked, “Who sent you?” From the very first matchday, things began to unravel. A goalless draw against Rivers United was not the worst result, but it set the tone. We could excuse that one to an extent because they have a deep squad, they are playing continental football and all that jazz. But what followed next was pure chaos.
Three straight defeats. One to Kun Khalifat, another to Warri Wolves, and the last to Plateau United. Three slaps in quick succession. And the painful part? None of these teams are exactly the giants of the league. Kun Khalifat are still learning the ropes, and we helped them climb the ladder with that loss. Warri Wolves had not even tasted victory until they met us in Aba. And Plateau United in Jos? Let us be honest, nobody expected a miracle there, but it still stung because they were having a rough season.
Now there is a two match ultimatum for Coach Stanley Eguma and some talk of restructuring behind the scenes. Sounds like the usual script, does it not? The truth is, we can reshuffle management, tweak formations, even bring in motivational speakers, but if the players and every other actor do not wake up and take responsibility, we will just be running in stylish circles. Football is not magic; it is muscle, mindset and moments. And right now, we seem short on all three.
Still, November is calling. Maybe she will be kinder. We can only hope and pray that the team remembers who they are, the People’s Elephant. The badge demands more, the fans deserve more, and the league is watching.
So while we pray for a better month, let us also brace up. Because in football, hope does not score goals, hard work does.
EnyimbaEnyi 💙
