It’s Matchday!
Monday evening football is one of those rare, confusing NPFL experiences, though last season we got more than our fair share thanks to our own logistical hiccups. Today’s edition, however, is not our doing. The NPFL board’s decision to shift Katsina United’s home game to Ilorin (instead of Jos, where they were originally banished for fan trouble) has handed us a Monday outing we never asked for but must now honour.
Thankfully, Ilorin is not unfamiliar territory. We have played here fifteen times against Kwara United and ABS. The return? Only five games without defeat and just two wins. Not a record you frame in your living room, but if the NPFL has taught us anything this season, it is that scripts flip without warning. After all, the two teams who beat us at home this season had never beaten Enyimba before in Aba. Maybe today is our chance to flip someone else’s narrative.
Coincidentally, we have also faced Katsina United exactly fifteen times. Eight of those were away fixtures, and we lost all but one. The only bright spot was a draw in November 2019. Katsina have never been a generous host, but they currently sit below us on goal difference. A simple two nil defeat drops us beneath them. Imagine being six points behind Abia Warriors; terrible. Now imagine being two spots and three points above relegation; unthinkable. Chukwu aju.
Both coaches have had their say ahead of this fixture. Our stand in coach, Lawrence Ukaegbu, promises to work with the players to “turn the tide.” Whether he stays after today is anyone’s guess, but he has been around long enough to understand the emotional cord between Enyimba and her supporters. Katsina’s Mohammed Audu insists his team feels “no pressure” despite playing home games on neutral soil. Beautiful. We would love nothing more than to apply the pressure he claims not to feel.
This fixture carries weight for both sides. Katsina United want survival. We want respect, stability, and the dignity of a club that should never be flirting with embarrassment. A performance worthy of our badge would be ideal, but at this point, Enyimba fans simply hope for the best while quietly bracing for whatever comes.
Kickoff is 4pm, live on the NPFL Live app.
Let us see what version of Enyimba shows up today.
EnyimbaEnyi 💙
